Sires Hill Primary Academy Review 2026, a new, growing primary in Great Western Park

Because Sires Hill opened in September 2023, parents should expect published attainment data to be limited at this stage. There is not yet an Ofsted inspection report published on the official Ofsted reports portal for this URN.

It passed a pre-opening Ofsted inspection conducted in May 2023, and that a full inspection is expected later once the school is more established. This is useful context, but it is not the same as a full graded inspection report that evaluates outcomes and standards across year groups.

From a FindMySchool data perspective, the published primary performance metrics and rankings are not yet available provided for this school, which is consistent with a new school that has not yet reached the end of key stage milestones. The practical implication is that parents need to judge early quality through curriculum clarity, routines, safeguarding culture, staff stability and how the school communicates with families, rather than relying on KS2 outcomes at this point.

The curriculum messaging places emphasis on breadth, and on preparing pupils for a changing world, with British values referenced as interwoven through the curriculum. That is a common framing in newer academies, but what matters for parents is whether the promised breadth shows up in weekly timetables and in the lived experience for children.

Subject-level pages give some insight into approach. For English, the school describes explicit teaching of grammar content and terminology, with regular reinforcement through the year. In mathematics, the school references parent workshops to explain methods and new concepts, and the use of online platforms including SumDog and Times Table Rock Stars to consolidate learning. These are practical indicators of a structured teaching model with an emphasis on home school alignment.

For a primary school, parents often want to know likely secondary destinations and transition support. Because Sires Hill is still building year groups and has not yet opened all year groups through to Year 6, families should treat transition information as emerging rather than established. The school’s published admissions information sets out the planned opening timeline for future year groups, including Year 3 opening in September 2026 and subsequent years following annually. That phased growth is normal for new schools, but it does mean the track record of Year 6 transition destinations is not yet available.

For families who like to plan early, it is sensible to look at Oxfordshire’s secondary landscape around Didcot and Great Western Park and consider travel time, sibling logistics, and whether your preferred secondary routes are catchment-led or more flexible. As cohorts move up, Sires Hill will be better placed to describe its transition offer and typical next schools.

Admissions for September 2026 entry are clearly laid out on the school website, with applications opening 4 November 2025 and closing 15 January 2026, followed by the national offer day on 16 April 2026 and the response deadline on 30 April 2026. For families new to Oxfordshire, these dates align with the standard coordinated admissions timetable, and the key is to plan paperwork well ahead of the January deadline.

Demand looks strong. The admissions data indicates the school is oversubscribed, with 83 applications for 27 offers and 3.07 applications per place applications per place in the relevant entry route data. The practical implication is that families should treat entry as competitive and make sure they understand the local authority’s admissions criteria and how distance and priority rules apply.

Nursery operates as publicly funded provision with a published admission number of 45 full time equivalent places for children aged two to four. For nursery-aged children, the main decision tends to be session availability and how well the setting fits your child’s needs, particularly around settling and communication with parents.

Parents shortlisting schools locally can use the FindMySchool Map Search to sense-check travel time and day-to-day logistics, especially if you are comparing multiple primaries across Didcot and the Great Western Park area.

Pastoral care at primary level is often best judged through routines, consistency, and how the school talks about safeguarding, behaviour and support. The safeguarding section sets out a whole-school stance, and the school also publishes a broad set of policies, including safeguarding, SEND and PSHE related documents, which signals an organised approach to compliance and expectations.

Family support signposting is also extensive, including a list of external services and helplines. While signposting is not the same as in-school provision, it does show an awareness that family wellbeing can affect attendance, learning and behaviour, and that schools sometimes need to guide parents towards specialist help.

Extracurricular breadth is one of the more distinctive published features here, and the school is unusually specific about how it ensures access. Every child from Reception upwards is offered a club slot on Friday afternoons, branded as Club Friday, running 2:40pm to 3:30pm, with half-termly choices. Current examples listed include singing, gardening and sport. The implication for families is that enrichment is designed to be universal, not only for children whose parents can collect late or pay for external clubs.

There are also optional paid clubs and activities. Football club is listed on Wednesday mornings from 7:45am, and a Year 1 and Year 2 science club is described as Bright Sparks Science, with themed characters and hands-on activities. When a school can name specific providers and formats, it usually means clubs are not an afterthought and parents will get clear information about what children are actually doing.

Music provision is described with more detail than many primaries. The school lists specialist guitar lessons offered from Reception upwards, and in-school rock and pop band lessons delivered with Rocksteady, including instruments provided. For children who respond well to performance-based learning, this can boost confidence and give a strong reason to choose the school even before published results data exists.

The school day is clearly published. Gates open at 8:40am, gates close at 8:50am, and the school finishes at 3:30pm, totalling 34 hours and 10 minutes per week. For working families, that slightly longer day can reduce childcare pressure at the margins, although it is still important to plan wraparound.

Wraparound is a mix of school-run and external provision. There is not currently a breakfast club, but there is an Extended Hours early drop-off from 8:15am for a charge of £3 per day, with no food provided. After-school childcare is provided by Get Active, running from 3:30pm to 6pm on weekdays in term time.

For transport, most families will treat this as a walkable local primary for Great Western Park where feasible, but you should still test the route at peak times, especially if you will be doing a nursery drop-off alongside older siblings at other sites.

• A new school means limited published outcomes data. There is not yet an Ofsted report published on the Ofsted reports portal for this school. Families need to judge quality through curriculum clarity, routines, communication and how the school supports children day to day.

• Year groups are still scaling up. Admissions information indicates that some year groups open in future years, including Year 3 in September 2026, which is normal for a newer school but does affect the sense of “full primary” maturity.

• Entry looks competitive. The school is oversubscribed in the provided admissions data, and families should treat admissions planning as a real project, not an admin formality.

• Wraparound is available, but in a specific shape. Early drop-off is offered, and after-school care is provided by an external provider, which may suit many families well, but it is worth checking availability and booking expectations early.

Sires Hill Primary Academy is best understood as a modern, expanding primary with a strong early-years centre of gravity and an unusually structured approach to enrichment for younger children. The longer school day and the built-in Club Friday model make it attractive to families who value breadth and routine, even before published end-of-key-stage outcomes exist. Best suited to local families in Great Western Park who want a new school with clear systems, embedded clubs, and childcare options that can work around the working week, as long as they are comfortable with a school still building its long-term track record.