St Laurence Church of England School

About St Laurence Church of England School

St Laurence Church of England School is a small state primary in South Oxfordshire, within the Oxfordshire local authority. Among the 242 primary schools in the LA, it ranks 67th, placing it in the top third locally. The top-performing peers in the area include Longworth Primary School and Hornton Primary School, both with perfect ranking scores of 100, and Brightwell-Cum-Sotwell Church of England Primary School at 92. With just 99 pupils against a capacity of 105, St Laurence is a genuinely small school, and its Church of England character gives it a distinct identity in the local landscape. Headteacher Nicole Cooper leads the school, which has a relatively low proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at 12.1%. The school's most recent Ofsted inspection in 2022, however, rated it Inadequate overall, with leadership and management also judged Inadequate, though behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and early years provision were all rated Good.

Academically, the picture is more nuanced than the Ofsted rating might suggest. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, 69% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which is above the Oxfordshire LA average of 61%. The school's ranking score of 69 on this metric places it in the top 50% nationally. Reading and maths average scores both sit at 109, comfortably above the national benchmark of 100. In maths, every single pupil reached the expected standard, and 54% achieved the higher standard. Reading saw 100% at expected and 46% at higher. Writing was the weaker area, with 69% at expected and 23% at higher. There is no progress score data available, so it is not possible to say how much value the school adds from pupils' starting points, but the raw attainment figures are solid, particularly in maths and reading.

The school offers a practical set of facilities including a sensory room, music rooms, art studios, an ICT suite, a chapel, and an outdoor playground. Sports provision covers dance, gymnastics, swimming, cricket, netball and football, while clubs include drama, choir, art, chess and eco club. For families with children who have additional needs, the school lists SEND provisions for specific learning difficulties, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, hearing impairment, and autistic spectrum disorder. Admission for the 2025/26 year shows the school is oversubscribed: 48 applications for 14 places, with 10 first-preference offers made from 10 first-preference applications, giving an oversubscription ratio of 3.43. This suggests strong local demand, and the school would suit families who value a small, Church of England primary with above-average KS2 outcomes and a broad range of enrichment activities, despite the current Ofsted rating.

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