Oake, Bradford and Nynehead VC Primary

About Oake, Bradford and Nynehead VC Primary

Oake, Bradford and Nynehead VC Primary was rated Requires Improvement in its most recent Ofsted inspection in October 2024, a drop from its previous Good rating in 2019. The inspection judged the quality of education, early years provision, behaviour and attitudes, and leadership and management all as Requires Improvement, though personal development was rated Good. On the academic front, the school’s most telling metric is the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which stood at 67% in the 2023/24 academic year. That is comfortably above the Somerset local authority average of 59% for primary schools, and places the school 46th out of 134 primary schools in the county. In reading, 72% of pupils met the expected standard, with an average scaled score of 104, while in maths 72% met the expected standard with an average score of 102. Writing saw 83% of pupils reach the expected level, the strongest of the three core subjects.

Despite the overall Ofsted rating, the school’s academic outcomes tell a more nuanced story. The proportion of pupils achieving the higher standard in reading, writing and maths combined was 6%, which is modest, but individual subject higher scores were more encouraging: 28% in reading, 11% in maths and 11% in writing. Nationally, the school ranks in the 38th percentile among all primary schools, and in the South West region it sits in the 33rd percentile. The school has no progress scores published for reading, writing or maths, so it is not possible to see how much value it adds relative to pupils’ starting points. Parental perception is mixed: 64% of the 28 respondents to the Ofsted Parent View questionnaire would recommend the school, but 36% would not. Concerns about behaviour and bullying were notable — 29% of parents strongly disagreed that the school makes sure pupils are well behaved, and 25% strongly disagreed that bullying is dealt with quickly and effectively.

The school is a Church of England primary with a capacity of 120 and currently has 93 pupils on roll, so there is some room for growth. It is oversubscribed for the 2025/26 intake, with 27 applications for 9 places and all 9 first-preference applicants offered a spot — a ratio of three applicants per place. Facilities include an art studio, library, ICT suite, playing fields and a chapel, and the school offers a range of clubs such as coding, film, gardening, art, eco and chess. Sports on offer include dance, swimming, netball, gymnastics, cricket and rounders. The school has identified SEND provisions for moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, hearing impairment, and other difficulties or disabilities. This is a small village primary that suits families who value its above-average KS2 outcomes and Church of England character, but who are also aware of the current Requires Improvement rating and the concerns raised by a significant minority of parents about behaviour and leadership.

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