Sherwood Park Primary School

About Sherwood Park Primary School

Sherwood Park Primary School in Bexley holds a Good rating from Ofsted, a grade it has maintained across both its most recent inspections, including an ungraded visit in 2023 that confirmed the school remains Good. The most telling academic metric for this primary school is the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which sits at 58%. That figure is notably below the Bexley local authority average of 67%, placing the school 41st out of 55 primary schools in the borough and in the bottom 50% nationally. The school’s ranking score of 58 reflects this, and it sits well behind local top performers like St Thomas More Catholic Primary School, which scored 95. In the individual subjects, 70% of pupils met the expected standard in both reading and maths, while writing was slightly higher at 74%. However, only 4% of pupils reached the higher standard across all three subjects, suggesting that while most children achieve a solid baseline, stretching the most able remains a challenge.

Looking deeper at the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, the average scores in reading and maths were 102 and 103 respectively, both just above the national average of 100. This indicates that, on average, pupils are performing at a level slightly above the national benchmark, even if the combined expected standard figure is lower than the local average. Progress measures are not available in the data, so it is difficult to assess how much value the school adds from pupils’ starting points. The Ofsted breakdown from the 2016 graded inspection rated leadership and management, early years provision, and overall effectiveness all as Good, with the 2023 ungraded inspection finding no change. The school has a nursery provision, catering for children from age three, and the early years were specifically rated Good in the most recent graded inspection. For parents focused on academic outcomes, the data suggests a school that delivers a broadly average performance but with room for improvement in pushing more pupils to exceed expectations.

Sherwood Park is a state primary school for mixed genders aged 3 to 11, with a current roll of 300 pupils against a capacity of 420, meaning there is some spare capacity. It is oversubscribed for the 2025/26 intake, with 122 applications for 54 places and 55 first-preference applications, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.26. The school has a relatively high proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at 28.3%, which is above the national average and suggests a diverse intake. Facilities include art studios, an ICT suite, playing fields, a sensory room, music rooms, a library, and even a chapel, alongside clubs such as science club, drama, and film club. Sports offered include athletics, swimming, cross country, rounders, and tennis. The school also provides a range of SEND provisions, including support for specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, and physical disability, plus a resourced provision. This combination of facilities and support makes it a practical choice for families in Bexley seeking a well-resourced local primary with a strong pastoral framework, particularly for children with additional needs.

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