Waterwells Primary Academy

About Waterwells Primary Academy

Waterwells Primary Academy is a state-funded mixed primary school in Gloucester, part of the Gloucestershire local authority, currently educating 357 pupils against a capacity of 420. That leaves roughly 15% of places unfilled, but the school is actually oversubscribed for Reception entry in 2025/26, receiving 78 applications for just 23 places — an oversubscription ratio of 3.39 to one. Of those applicants, 21 put Waterwells as their first preference, and 20 received offers. The school serves a community with above-average disadvantage: 30.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, notably higher than the national primary average of around 23%. This suggests the school is drawing families from a relatively deprived catchment while still generating strong demand. Headteacher Claire Rawlings leads a non-denominational school with nursery provision for three-year-olds, and the intake spans ages 3 to 11.

Academically, Waterwells sits in a challenging position within Gloucestershire. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, just 38% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined — well below the local authority average of 59%. The school ranks 18th out of 25 schools in Gloucester on this metric, placing it in the bottom 50% nationally at the 92nd percentile. Individual subject scores tell a more mixed story: reading was a relative strength, with 71% reaching the expected standard and 29% achieving a higher score, while maths saw 54% at expected and 10% at higher. Writing lagged behind, with 69% at expected but only 2% at higher. The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection in October 2022 rated it Good overall, a significant improvement from its Requires Improvement rating in January 2019. All inspected categories — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision — were judged Good.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including a gymnasium, library, playing fields, forest school, sensory room, art studios, music rooms, ICT suite and a chapel. Sports provision covers athletics, rounders, football, cross country and dance, while clubs include book, art, eco, film and coding. For children with additional needs, Waterwells has designated provision for moderate learning difficulty, social emotional and mental health, speech language and communication, multi-sensory impairment and autistic spectrum disorder. Given its oversubscription and above-average FSM intake, this is a school that serves a diverse local community and has shown clear improvement under its current leadership. It will particularly suit families who value a broad enrichment offer alongside academic recovery, and who are comfortable with results that are still below the LA average but trending in the right direction.

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