Greatworth Primary School Review 2026: High-attaining village primary with an ambitious curriculum

Small schools can sometimes feel limited. Greatworth Primary School is the opposite. With a roll of 65 pupils and a published admission number of 15, the scale is intimate, but the expectations are not. The most recent key stage 2 results are exceptional, and the school’s FindMySchool ranking places it among the highest-performing primaries in England (top 2%).

The most recent Ofsted inspection (26 and 27 November 2024) graded all key areas as Good, and judged safeguarding arrangements effective.

Families considering Reception should treat admissions as competitive. The latest available admissions data shows 34 applications for 15 offers, which is a strong indicator of demand for a rural village school with consistently high outcomes.

Greatworth’s identity is strongly shaped by being a small village school. With mixed-age classes (Reception, Years 1 and 2, Years 3 and 4, Years 5 and 6), children tend to grow up together, and older pupils are expected to model maturity for younger ones.

A clear thread running through school life is encouragement. The school motto, Yes I can!, is not treated as a slogan, it is used as a practical prompt for resilience and effort when learning becomes demanding.

Leadership is stable and well-established. The headteacher is Lesley Lutas-Brown, who took up post in September 2016. In a school this size, continuity matters because staffing changes can have an outsized impact on curriculum delivery and day-to-day routines.

There is also a strong emphasis on experiences beyond the village. The most recent inspection narrative describes regular trips, residential experiences for older pupils, and opportunities in sport, performing arts, and visual arts. That breadth helps pupils see wider possibilities and build confidence in unfamiliar settings.

The headline message from the school’s latest available key stage 2 data is simple: outcomes are extremely high. In 2024, 100% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined, compared with an England average of 62%.

At the higher standard, 50.33% achieved greater depth in reading, writing and mathematics, compared with the England average of 8%. Reading (113), mathematics (109) and grammar, punctuation and spelling (109) scaled scores are also well above typical national benchmarks.

Rankings reinforce the picture. Greatworth ranks 302nd in England and 2nd in the Banbury area for primary outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), placing it among the highest-performing schools in England (top 2%).

Parents comparing local options can use the FindMySchool Local Hub and Comparison Tool to place these figures alongside nearby primaries, especially useful when cohort sizes are small and year-to-year variation can look dramatic.

Curriculum intent is ambitious and deliberately localised. The most recent inspection report describes key knowledge selected “with Greatworth pupils specifically in mind”, including work linked to local infrastructure and transport themes, and learning brought to life through visits, including to a railway museum and Greatworth Farm.

Reading is treated as a core craft from the start. Reception begins phonics immediately, and early reading books are carefully matched to the sounds pupils know. The same report highlights a structured approach that includes encouragement to read a wide range of quality texts over time, supported by engagement with families so reading happens regularly at home as well as at school.

Memory and retrieval are also built into the routine. Regular “cumulative quizzes” are used to help pupils remember what they have been taught, and this is described as strengthening pupils’ confidence in explaining what they know.

Where the school is still sharpening practice is consistency in how learning is checked and responded to. The same inspection points to occasions where misconceptions are not addressed quickly enough, or where activities do not reliably support all pupils, including some pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, to secure the intended learning.

As a village primary, Greatworth’s main transition point is Year 6 to Year 7. The inspection report states pupils leave well prepared for secondary school, and school routines deliberately build responsibility and independence, for example older pupils supporting younger ones at lunchtime and pupils taking an active role in the life of the school.

For local families, Chenderit School is a prominent part of the wider education picture. School life includes regular sporting links described as “Chenderit sporting events”, and governance information also references pupils moving on to Chenderit.

Because Greatworth is small, it is wise for families to ask directly about transition support in their child’s final year, including any structured liaison with receiving schools and how pupils are prepared for a larger setting, both academically and socially.

Greatworth is a state primary with admissions coordinated through West Northamptonshire Council. The school’s published admission number is 15, and the school notes that applicants should follow the local authority’s defined process and oversubscription criteria.

Demand looks healthy. The most recent admissions data available here shows 34 applications for 15 offers, which fits the school’s reputation for strong results and high expectations in a small setting. For families outside the immediate area, the practical implication is that securing entry can be difficult in oversubscribed years.

For September 2026 Reception entry in West Northamptonshire, applications open from 10 September 2025, the deadline is 15 January 2026, and offer day is 16 April 2026.

A practical tip: if distance is a factor in the council’s oversubscription criteria for your circumstances, use the FindMySchool Map Search to measure your home-to-school distance accurately. Even when a school is small, admissions can become finely balanced.

Pastoral practice in a small primary often comes down to routines and relationships. Here, the emphasis is on trust, responsibility, and positive relationships between pupils and staff, with pupils encouraged to take age-appropriate responsibility in daily life.

Resilience is explicitly taught. The motto is used as a prompt for perseverance, with children encouraged to keep aiming for improvement rather than perfection. This tends to suit pupils who respond well to clear expectations and consistent encouragement.

The school also builds pupils’ awareness of wider society. The inspection narrative describes visits to different places of worship, supporting pupils to understand different beliefs and perspectives, and reinforcing expectations around fairness and respect.

Extra-curricular provision is more structured than many families expect from a school of this size. The current clubs list includes Drama Club (Years 3 to 6), Wellness Club (Years 1 and 2), Art Club (Years 3 to 6), Choir Club (Years 3 to 6), Hotshots, and Brackley Town Football Club (Years 1 to 6).

The detail matters because it shows deliberate breadth. Drama and choir support confidence, memory, and performance skills; art provides a quieter but equally demanding outlet for precision and creativity; football and Hotshots create a routine for physical development and team habits. For pupils who may not naturally gravitate to sport or performance, having named clubs with clear age ranges makes it easier to find a “first step” activity.

The school also seems to make space for pupil initiative. The inspection narrative describes pupils organising their own clubs at lunchtime and using the time for dance practice, sport, or creative work. It also references a performing arts evening that gives pupils a formal platform to showcase talents.

The published school week totals 32.5 hours. Doors open at 8.40am, morning register starts at 8.45am (closing at 9.00am), and lessons finish at 3.15pm. Lunch runs from 12.00pm to 1.00pm.

Wraparound care is available via the onsite pre-school. Breakfast club starts at 8.00am, and after-school provision runs either 3.30pm to 4.30pm or 3.30pm to 6.00pm.

On practical costs, there are no tuition fees. Families should budget for the usual extras such as uniform and trips; the school notes that badges can be purchased for £1.25 to add to generic items.

• Small cohorts amplify variation. With around 65 pupils on roll, year-to-year results and experience can swing more than at larger schools, especially when staffing changes occur. This is not a negative, but it is a reality worth understanding when you compare data across years.

• Competitive admissions. The most recent admissions data indicates strong demand relative to places. Families should approach the process early and use the local authority timeline carefully.

• Consistency of classroom adaptation. The most recent inspection identifies that learning activities and responsive checking are not yet consistently strong enough to help all pupils, including some pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, secure the intended learning. Families may want to explore this in detail if their child needs regular adaptation.

Greatworth Primary School combines the benefits of a small village setting with unusually strong academic outcomes. The curriculum is ambitious, reading is carefully structured from the start, and pupils have access to a wider set of experiences than many small schools can sustain.

It best suits families who value high expectations, clear routines, and a school culture built around resilience and responsibility. The limiting factor is usually admission rather than the educational offer, so families considering Reception should treat deadlines and criteria as central to their planning.