Preston Candover Church of England Primary School Review 2026: High-attaining village primary with leadership for every pupil

Small rural primaries rarely produce headline statistics, but this one does. In the most recent published Key Stage 2 outcomes, every pupil reached the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics, a figure far above the England average of 62%. The school’s academic profile is reinforced by a top-tier local ranking, and by a curriculum structure that is intentionally designed for mixed-age classes, with a two-year rolling programme across vertically grouped cohorts.

Ethos is not an add-on here. Christian values are woven into daily routines, including collective worship as part of the morning timetable, and a deliberate focus on pupils’ character and responsibility. The latest Ofsted inspection (10 and 11 January 2023) judged the school Good overall, with Outstanding for personal development and effective safeguarding arrangements.

For families, the practical proposition is clear: a state primary with no tuition fees, a published admission number of 20 for Reception, and wraparound care that is available on set days each week, but with limited places.

This is a Church of England primary that describes itself as welcoming to families of all faiths, and to those with no faith, while still being open about the role of Christian values in daily life. Its core values are presented as love, hope and justice, and these are treated as working habits rather than slogans. In the 2023 inspection narrative, pupils are described as kind and respectful, with bullying framed as rare and dealt with quickly.

A distinctive feature is how consciously pupils are positioned as contributors. The school uses a leadership language that appears throughout school life, and the inspection evidence points to leadership roles that are valued and visible, including language ambassadors and fair-trade representatives. This matters for a small school, because a limited year-group size can reduce the number of formal opportunities available. Here, responsibility is deliberately broadened so that character development is not restricted to a small group of older pupils.

The other defining strand is a structured approach to “whole child” development through the Leader in Me framework. The school presents this as a whole-school improvement approach built around the idea that every child can lead. The practical implication, for parents, is that behaviour, routines, and personal development are treated as curriculum in their own right, not merely as expectations.

Leadership stability is evidenced across multiple school publications. Mrs Simrit Otway is the current headteacher, and has been in headship at the school since at least September 2013, when she is named as acting headteacher in a school newsletter, and then as headteacher in newsletters from 2014 onwards.

The headline results are unusually strong. In the most recent published outcomes 100% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined. That compares to an England average of 62%. In reading, mathematics, grammar, punctuation and spelling, and science, the figures are also shown as 100% reaching the expected standard. This level of consistency suggests two things: secure fundamentals across the cohort, and a curriculum that avoids the “peaks and troughs” sometimes seen in small rural year groups.

Scaled scores provide the detail behind the headline. Reading is recorded at 114, with mathematics and grammar, punctuation and spelling both at 108. The combined reading, GPS and mathematics score is 330. These are academic markers that typically correlate with strong secondary readiness, particularly for pupils who will move into more demanding reading and writing expectations at Key Stage 3.

At higher standard, the figures are equally striking. 52.67% are recorded as achieving the higher standard in reading, writing and mathematics, compared to an England average of 8%. For families with high-attaining children, this matters because it indicates that the school is not merely getting pupils “over the line”; it is also creating stretch for the top end.

In FindMySchool’s ranking for primary outcomes (based on official attainment data), the school ranks 418th in England and 1st in the Basingstoke local area. This places it well above the England average, within the top 10% of primaries in England, and closer to the top 3% by rank position. Parents comparing nearby options can use the Local Hub page and the Comparison Tool to view these outcomes side-by-side across the area.

It is worth balancing the numbers with the inspection improvement points. The 2023 report identifies mathematics task selection as an area where consistency can slip, with some pupils occasionally working at an inappropriate level of challenge. In a high-attaining school, this is a meaningful nuance: sustained excellence often depends on tight “in-lesson” checks that ensure the most able pupils remain stretched while others stay secure.

Reading is treated as a priority from the start. The school states that it delivers the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme, with daily phonics in Reception and Year 1, and continued teaching into Year 2. It also describes targeted “keep up” sessions for pupils who need additional practice, and continued intervention into Key Stage 2 where required. This is the sort of implementation detail parents should look for, because it signals a planned approach rather than ad hoc support.

Curriculum sequencing is another strength. The inspection narrative describes an interesting, well-sequenced curriculum from Reception onwards, built so that knowledge accumulates over time. This matters in a school with vertically grouped classes, because curriculum design has to prevent repetition while still allowing pupils joining a mixed-age cohort to access the same “big ideas”. The school’s art and design documentation is explicit about a two-year rolling programme to support vertical grouping, which is a practical and credible way to protect coverage and progression.

Creative learning appears to be a consistent pillar. The school describes whole-school art projects and partnerships that include The National Gallery’s Take One Picture, plus collaborations with Anvil Arts and The Grange Festival Opera. The implication is that arts are not restricted to a weekly lesson; instead, they are used to build confidence, communication, and cultural knowledge across the curriculum.

As a small primary, the key question is not only “what results are achieved”, but “how well do pupils transition”. The school sits within the Seven Alresford Schools Partnership (7AS), alongside several nearby primaries and Perins School. That partnership model typically supports smoother transition through shared professional development, curriculum conversations, and pupil events, which can be especially valuable for children moving from small cohorts into a larger secondary environment.

The school also states, in its published information, that many children move on to Perins School in Alresford at the end of Year 6, with some pupils moving into independent education. For parents, the practical implication is that transition planning is likely to be oriented towards mainstream state secondary expectations, with an awareness that some families will also pursue different pathways.

Transition support is referenced in policy and school documentation as a process involving visits, secondary liaison, and additional coordination where special educational needs are involved. While families should not expect a primary to “choose” a secondary destination, they can reasonably look for evidence that secondary readiness, organisational independence, and emotional confidence are planned outcomes rather than assumptions.

Admissions are coordinated by Hampshire County Council for the normal (main round) Reception intake. The published admission number for Reception is 20 for the 2026 to 2027 admissions year, and the school notes this on its admissions page.

Key dates for September 2026 entry are published by Hampshire:

• Applications open: 01 November 2025

• Deadline for applications: 15 January 2026

• National offer day: 16 April 2026

Waiting lists for Reception are then established from late April.

Demand, while based on small absolute numbers, is real. ’s latest available admissions cycle, 29 applications were recorded for 16 offers. That equates to roughly 1.81 applications per place, and the school is classed as oversubscribed. The practical impact is that, even in a village setting, families should treat Reception entry as competitive, and plan early.

Oversubscription criteria follow a standard Hampshire structure but with faith-related priority points that will matter to some families. After children with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the school, and looked-after or previously looked-after children, priority includes:

• exceptional medical or social need (with independent supporting evidence)

• children of staff (in specific circumstances)

• catchment children with siblings already on roll

• catchment children applying on denominational grounds where a parent is an active member of the Church of England (with evidence via a supplementary form)

• other catchment children, then out-of-catchment siblings and denominational applications, and finally other children

Distance is used as a tie-break when a category is oversubscribed, measured by Hampshire’s Geographic Information Systems approach.

Open mornings for Reception entry tend to run in the autumn term. For the September 2026 intake, the school scheduled open mornings in October and November 2025 and asked families to book via the school office. If you are planning for a later year, it is sensible to expect a similar pattern and confirm dates via the school calendar.

A useful practical step is to use FindMySchoolMap Search to check your home-to-school distance against recent local patterns, and to validate that your address sits within the correct Hampshire catchment, as boundaries and feeder patterns can change over time.

Pastoral work here is framed as purposeful character education rather than reactive management. Leadership roles are used to build confidence, and the school’s approach to personal development was the strongest judged area in the latest inspection. The report narrative describes a calm environment, respectful behaviour, and clear routines from Reception onwards.

Safeguarding practice is described as systematic, including staff training, prompt reporting, and comprehensive record-keeping. Pupils are also taught practical safety knowledge, including online safety, first aid, and how to report an emergency. This combination of systems and pupil education tends to correlate with a culture in which children are comfortable raising concerns early.

Inclusion is also positioned as a leadership priority. The inspection narrative notes ambition for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, and describes an inclusion leader role that helps staff identify needs quickly and adapt teaching, especially for less experienced colleagues. For parents of children needing additional support, this is the sort of staffing architecture that can make provision more consistent across year groups in a small school.

Sports are organised with unusual specificity for a small primary. The school reports achieving the School Games Gold Mark for the eighth consecutive year in 2024 to 2025. For families, the key point is not the badge itself, but what sits behind it: a culture of participation, inclusive access, and regular competition.

The sporting calendar described by the school includes Quad Kids athletics, a handball tournament hosted at Eggar’s School, netball tournaments, cross country events linked to Perins, and National Skipping Day activities led by pupil playleaders. These events matter because they build confidence, teamwork, and performance under mild pressure, which in turn supports secondary transition.

Clubs provision changes by term, and the autumn term schedule includes Multisports (Monday), Football (Tuesday), and Gymnastics (Tuesday) as external-led clubs, alongside the school’s own wraparound provision. Because places are capped, families who rely on after-school care should treat club availability as something to confirm early rather than assume.

Creative and cultural enrichment also has a clear identity. Whole-school art projects are part of how the school describes its curriculum offer, and partnerships such as The National Gallery’s Take One Picture, plus collaborations with Anvil Arts and The Grange Festival Opera, suggest a consistent commitment to giving pupils access to professional creative contexts, even in a village setting.

The school day starts at 8.45am and finishes at 3.10pm, with collective worship scheduled in the morning. After-school clubs run until 4.10pm, and the school office publishes its own opening hours separately.

Wraparound care is available, but it is structured. Early Birds runs from 8.00am to the start of registration on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, with a maximum of five pupils per session. The Nest runs after school from 3.10pm to 5.00pm Monday to Thursday, with options for part-session or full-session attendance.

Travel arrangements reflect the realities of a small rural site. The school states there is no parent parking in the car park due to limited space and pupil safety, and it has produced guidance on safer local parking for drop-off. Families should expect that driving, car sharing, and careful parking behaviour are important to the daily routine here.

• Small cohort, limited places. Reception has a published admission number of 20, and the school is oversubscribed. In the latest available admissions cycle, 29 applications were recorded for 16 offers, so families should plan early and name realistic alternative schools.

• Faith-related admissions criteria may matter. This is a voluntary controlled Church of England school, and the admissions policy includes denominational priority within catchment where a parent is an active member of the Church of England and provides evidence via a supplementary form. Families should read the policy carefully if they expect the faith criterion to apply.

• Wraparound care is not daily at both ends. Early Birds runs on Tuesdays and Wednesdays only, and places are capped. The Nest is available Monday to Thursday, but availability should be confirmed because childcare needs often drive school choice as much as academic fit.

• Strong performance brings higher expectations. With 100% reaching the expected standard at Key Stage 2 in the published results, pupils are likely to experience a purposeful culture. That suits many children well, but families should still ask how the school balances challenge with confidence, especially for pupils who are anxious learners.

Preston Candover Church of England Primary School combines exceptionally strong published attainment with a clear emphasis on values, leadership, and personal development. The curriculum model is designed for mixed-age classes rather than working around them, and enrichment extends well beyond the classroom, particularly in sport and the arts. Best suited to families who want high expectations within a Christian-values framework, and who can engage early with a competitive admissions process.