Nursling Church of England Primary School

About Nursling Church of England Primary School

Nursling Church of England Primary School is a state primary for mixed-gender pupils aged 4 to 11, located in the Test Valley borough of Hampshire. With 193 pupils on roll against a capacity of 210, the school is not full, but demand is notably high: for the 2025/26 intake, it received 65 applications for 31 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.1. Of those, 23 were first-preference applications, and all 23 received offers. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals stands at 19.2%, which is above the national average for primary schools (typically around 23-24% nationally, though local averages vary). This suggests the school serves a community with above-average levels of disadvantage compared with the wider Hampshire area. The school’s religious character as Church of England may also shape its intake, though the data does not specify any faith-based admissions criteria.

Academically, Nursling Church of England Primary School holds a Good rating from Ofsted, a significant improvement from its previous Requires Improvement judgement in 2017. In its most recent graded inspection in 2019, the school achieved Good across all categories: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. An ungraded inspection in March 2025 confirmed that standards have been maintained. At Key Stage 2 in 2023/24, 60% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which is just below the local authority average of 61%. Reading was the strongest subject, with 80% at expected and 20% at a higher standard. Maths and writing were weaker, with 67% and 63% at expected respectively. The school’s average scaled scores were 104 in reading and 102 in maths. Nationally, it ranks in the 56th percentile, placing it in the bottom half of schools on this combined measure.

The school offers a broad range of facilities including a library, playing fields, art studios, ICT suite, sports hall, forest school, music rooms and a chapel. Sports provision covers dance, athletics, cross country, netball, swimming, tennis and cricket, while clubs include science, gardening, book, art and drama. SEND support is available for specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, social, emotional and mental health needs, and speech, language and communication needs. Parent View responses from 58 respondents show mixed satisfaction: 75% of parents would recommend the school, and strong majorities agree that children are happy (75% strongly agree or agree) and feel safe (79%). However, concerns about behaviour management and how concerns are handled are more divided — 47% disagree that concerns are dealt with properly, and 26% disagree that behaviour is well managed. This school will suit families who value a Church of England ethos, strong reading outcomes, and a wide range of extracurricular activities, but who are prepared for a school that is still improving its academic consistency and where parental satisfaction on some pastoral issues is more mixed.

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