Glebe Primary School, Uxbridge Review 2026: High-attainment primary with a specialist hearing provision

A large, three-form entry primary serving Ickenham families, with a clear focus on strong basics and a confident wider offer. In 2024, 85.3% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, well above the England average of 62%. At the higher standard, 31% reached greater depth compared with 8% across England.

Leadership has been stable for several years. Mrs Melanie Penney has been head teacher since September 2017, having previously served as deputy head.

The most recent Ofsted inspection (16 to 17 May 2023) judged the school Good overall, and Good in every area including early years.

A distinctive feature is the school’s specialist unit for pupils with hearing impairment, which sits alongside the mainstream school and shapes an inclusive, well-trained staff culture.

The school’s own strapline, We Can & We Will, gives a useful shorthand for the tone here, purposeful, optimistic, and geared towards steady improvement rather than gimmicks.

External evidence paints a consistent picture of calm routines and positive relationships. Pupils are described as polite and well mannered, and older pupils are given structured opportunities to support younger ones through reading. This matters in a large primary because it strengthens belonging across year groups rather than leaving pupils to operate in parallel bubbles.

The school’s size is an advantage for families who want breadth without losing the sense that staff know pupils well. Capacity is 690, and the school describes itself as three-form entry throughout, with up to 90 pupils in each year group in the main school, alongside 60 nursery places split across morning and afternoon sessions.

The specialist resourced provision for hearing impaired pupils is an important part of the identity. It is not a bolt-on, it is integrated into the school’s daily life and expectations. In practice, that tends to raise the baseline of inclusive teaching across the mainstream classes because staff training, classroom acoustics considerations, and communication approaches become normalised rather than “special measures” for a small number.

The headline for parents is that attainment at the end of key stage 2 is firmly above England averages. In 2024, 85.3% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined. England’s average was 62%. At the higher standard, 31% achieved greater depth, compared with 8% across England.

Subject-level indicators are also strong. In 2024, 85% met the expected standard in reading, 89% in maths, and 85% in grammar, punctuation and spelling. Science is similarly positive at 91% meeting the expected standard. Scaled scores of 107 in reading, 108 in maths and 107 in grammar, punctuation and spelling indicate attainment above typical national benchmarks.

On FindMySchool’s rankings (based on official outcomes data), the school is ranked 2,691st in England for primary outcomes and 16th locally within Hillingdon. That places it above England average overall, comfortably within the top 25% of primary schools in England.

The implication for families is straightforward. If your child thrives in a structured environment that still values enrichment, the academic foundations here look dependable, with a meaningful proportion of pupils working at greater depth by Year 6. For pupils who need extra scaffolding, the evidence suggests teachers generally spot gaps and respond, although there is also a clear push to make assessment sharper in some foundation subjects so knowledge sticks over time.

Teaching strengths are described in practical terms rather than slogans. Staff are reported to have strong subject knowledge, and they present information clearly so pupils learn vocabulary well and can talk about their learning with confidence.

Reading is a clear priority, with a systematic approach to early reading and phonics. The crucial operational detail is that books are matched to pupils’ phonics knowledge, and support is targeted quickly for pupils at risk of falling behind. For parents, that tends to translate into fewer children “coasting” with guessing strategies and a higher chance of secure fluency by the end of key stage 1, which then pays off across the curriculum in key stage 2.

Curriculum design appears intentional. Leaders are described as having developed an ambitious curriculum with careful sequencing, and early years is framed as a purposeful preparation for Year 1 rather than a holding pattern. The improvement focus is also clear, making sure assessment in some subjects pinpoints the key knowledge pupils must retain, and ensuring misconceptions are consistently addressed so deeper understanding is secure.

As a primary, the main transition point is into Year 7, and parents in Hillingdon will apply through the local authority’s coordinated admissions process. For current Year 6 families aiming for September 2026 secondary entry, the local authority’s published closing date is 31 October 2025.

What this means in practice is that families should treat Year 5 and early Year 6 as the planning window for secondary choices, including open events and travel logistics. In this part of Hillingdon, many families balance a combination of local non-selective options alongside any selective or specialist preferences outside the borough, depending on a child’s needs and willingness to travel. Glebe’s emphasis on reading fluency and confident vocabulary building is a strong base for the jump to subject-specialist teaching at secondary level, where pupils are expected to access more demanding texts and move between classroom cultures quickly.

For pupils with additional needs, the school’s track record of working with external agencies and identifying needs early can help transition planning feel less reactive. The value for families is that information tends to be clearer by Year 6, which supports more confident secondary choices and smoother handovers.

This is a state school with no tuition fees. Admissions for Reception are coordinated by the local authority rather than handled privately by the school.

Demand is real. For Reception entry (the primary admissions route), there were 183 applications for 78 offers, a ratio of 2.35 applications per place. That lines up with the school’s status as oversubscribed. The practical implication is that families should read the published oversubscription criteria closely and plan a realistic set of preferences, rather than assuming a place is likely.

The school itself explains that it is three-form entry in the main school and can take up to 90 pupils in each year group, while nursery has 60 places split into 30 morning and 30 afternoon sessions, with some full-time nursery places also available.

For Reception September 2026 entry, the local authority’s published closing date for on-time applications is 15 January 2026. Offers are released on 16 April 2026, with a stated acceptance deadline of 30 April 2026. Late applications can still be submitted until mid-August 2026, but they are processed after offer day.

Visits matter in schools of this size because the “fit” question is often about routines and expectations. The school states that parent tours are usually available once a month, and the school calendar lists parent tours by appointment, including dates in late January and late February 2026.

For parents shortlisting several nearby options, FindMySchool’s Map Search is useful for checking practical travel and comparing realistic daily logistics across schools, especially where oversubscription is tight and routines differ.

Pastoral culture comes through in concrete behaviours rather than marketing. Pupils are described as trusting staff with worries, feeling safe, and seeing concerns dealt with quickly. Peer responsibility is also built in, through roles like eco team membership, prefects, and structured opportunities to make a contribution.

The school puts explicit emphasis on personal development content, including teaching pupils how to recognise healthy and unhealthy relationships and creating space to discuss wellbeing topics. For parents, this is a sign of a school that treats personal development as curriculum content, not just assemblies.

Safeguarding is treated as an operational priority, including staff training and quick responses when concerns are raised. The inspection confirmed that safeguarding arrangements are effective.

The clubs programme is unusually well specified, which is helpful for parents because it signals reliability and organisation rather than vague claims. Across spring term 2026, examples include Code Club (Years 3 to 6), Archery (Years 3 to 6), Gardening Club (Years 3 to 6), Musical Theatre (Reception to Year 6), and language provision through La Jolie Ronde French (Years 3 to 6).

Sport is also structured across age groups. The published schedule includes multi-sports for younger year groups, team football and netball sessions, plus dodgeball across different year bands. For families, the implication is twofold. First, there is a pathway for pupils who want to represent the school in sport. Second, there are enough entry points for pupils who are still building confidence and just need enjoyable, regular activity after the school day.

Enrichment is not only about clubs. The inspection report refers to visits that broaden pupils’ outlook, including museums and universities. Those experiences tend to matter most for pupils who do not have those reference points at home, because they widen the set of futures pupils can imagine for themselves.

School timings are clearly published, with slightly different session structures by key stage. Main school teaching sessions run from 9:00am, with different lunch and afternoon start times for early years, key stage 1, and key stage 2, and a 3:30pm finish. The school also operates staggered drop-off and pick-up options to reduce congestion, including 8:40am or 8:50am starts and 3:20pm or 3:30pm collections.

Wraparound care is signposted. Breakfast Club runs every morning from 7:45am to 8:40am, and an after-school club is run by an external childcare provider (as described by the school).

For transport and drop-off planning, it is worth noting the school’s own warning that on-site parking is not available during school hours, so families should expect to walk from surrounding areas or plan alternatives.

• A competitive Reception intake. With 183 applications for 78 offers and oversubscription indicated, admission is not straightforward. Families should plan multiple realistic preferences rather than relying on one school.

• A big-school experience. Three-form entry means breadth, but it can feel busy for some children. Families with a child who needs a smaller, quieter setting may want to check how routines are structured across the day.

• Curriculum refinement in some subjects. The improvement focus includes sharpening how key content is identified and checked in some foundation subjects, and strengthening how misconceptions are addressed so deeper understanding is secure. This is a sensible development point, but it is still something parents may want to ask about during tours.

• Nursery does not guarantee Reception. If your child attends nursery, you still need to apply for Reception through the local authority route, and a nursery place does not automatically convert into a school place.

Glebe Primary School combines strong attainment with the practical hallmarks of a well-run large primary, clear routines, a well-specified clubs programme, and a visible commitment to reading. The specialist hearing provision adds a credible inclusion dimension that many mainstream primaries cannot match at this scale.

Who it suits: families in the local area who want a structured, high-expectation primary with breadth in clubs and a strong academic baseline. The main limiting factor is admission competition, so shortlisting needs realism and early planning. Using FindMySchool’s Comparison Tool can help families view local outcomes side-by-side and keep decisions anchored in evidence, not hearsay.