Shefford C.E. Primary School

About Shefford C.E. Primary School

Shefford C.E. Primary School is a small Church of England primary in West Berkshire, a local authority with 67 primary schools where only three currently hold an Outstanding rating. The school sits 16th in the LA rankings based on KS2 outcomes, placing it comfortably in the top quarter of its peers. Among the highest-scoring local primaries are The Ilsleys Primary School, Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery, and Sulhamstead and Ufton Nervet School, all of which rank above Shefford on the same metric. With just 51 pupils against a capacity of 90, the school is notably undersubscribed in terms of total places, though it received 11 applications for 5 available places in the 2025/26 admissions round, making it oversubscribed by a ratio of 2.2 to one. Headteacher Deborah Munday leads a school that has improved significantly since its previous Ofsted inspection in 2015, when it was rated Requires Improvement.

In its most recent graded inspection in 2017, Ofsted rated the school Good overall, with Good marks for leadership and management and early years provision. An ungraded inspection in 2022 confirmed the school remains Good. Academic outcomes at KS2 are strong across the board. 71% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, well above the West Berkshire LA average of 57%. Reading was a particular strength: every pupil reached the expected standard, and 57% achieved the higher standard. In writing, 86% met expectations and 57% reached the higher threshold, while maths saw 86% at expected and 43% at higher. Average scaled scores were 113 in reading and 106 in maths. Nationally, the school ranks in the top 28% of all primaries for combined KS2 performance, and in the top 26% within the South East region.

The school offers a range of facilities including a sensory room, library, ICT suite, chapel and an outdoor playground. Sports provision covers netball, football, cricket, dance, rounders and swimming, while clubs include choir, film club, book club, drama, coding and art club. SEND support is available for pupils with moderate learning difficulties, social emotional and mental health needs, speech language and communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. As a Church of England school, it has a religious character but no nursery or sixth form provision. This is a small, community-focused primary that suits families who value strong academic outcomes in a setting where the school knows every child individually. Its oversubscription for first preferences suggests local demand is healthy, despite the overall capacity being underused.

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