The Ferns Primary Academy

About The Ferns Primary Academy

The Ferns Primary Academy is a small state primary in Rushmoor, operating well below its capacity of 210 pupils with just 85 on roll. That spare capacity is notable given the school is actually oversubscribed for its 2025/26 intake, receiving 16 applications for 12 places, with exactly half of those being first-preference choices. The pupil body is significantly more disadvantaged than the local average, with 40% of children eligible for free school meals, a figure that stands out even in a national context. The school is non-denominational and co-educational, serving children from ages 4 to 11. Its most recent Ofsted inspection in October 2024 judged it Good across every category, including behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. This represents a remarkable turnaround from its previous inspection in November 2022, when the school was rated Inadequate overall, with both behaviour and leadership marked as requiring improvement.

Academically, the school's Key Stage 2 results for 2023/24 place it at the bottom of Rushmoor's league table, ranked 16th out of 16 schools, and in the bottom 3% nationally. Just 31% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a local authority average of 61%. In reading, 46% reached the expected level and 15% achieved the higher standard, while in maths 54% met expectations and 8% reached the higher tier. Writing was the weakest area, with only 31% at the expected level and none at the higher standard. Average scaled scores in reading and maths both sat at 99, just below the national benchmark of 100. The school's ranking score of 31 out of 100 reflects these outcomes, though the context of a high-needs intake is important to bear in mind when interpreting the data.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including a sports hall, playing fields, music rooms, an ICT suite, and a Forest School programme. Sports provision covers gymnastics, football, cricket, cross country, athletics, swimming and rounders, while clubs include drama, choir, chess and coding. SEND support is available for pupils with specific learning difficulties, speech and language needs, social and emotional challenges, and autistic spectrum disorder. Parent views are broadly positive, with 91% of respondents saying they would recommend the school, and strong majorities agreeing that children are happy, safe and well-behaved. However, the parent view sample is small at just 11 responses, and the SEND support question received no responses at all. This is a school that has clearly stabilised after a difficult period, and its small size means families who value close relationships and a supportive atmosphere may find it a good fit, particularly those whose children need additional pastoral or SEND support.

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