Ettington CofE Primary School Review 2026: High-performing village primary with outstanding behaviour

A small village primary can sometimes feel like a trade-off between warmth and ambition. Here, you do not have to choose. Academic outcomes are strong, and the culture is values-led and orderly. The current leadership team is headed by Michelle Crowe, appointed after the previous inspection cycle.

On results, the picture is unusually consistent across subjects. In 2024, 91.67% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined, compared with an England average of 62%. At the higher standard, 36% reached greater depth in reading, writing and mathematics, compared with an England average of 8%. These are the sorts of figures that tend to come from clear curriculum sequencing, strong routines, and teaching that is able to pitch high without losing pupils who need extra support.

This is a state school with no tuition fees. Families should still plan for the usual extras such as uniform, trips, and optional clubs.

The school’s identity is explicitly Church of England, and it sits within the Diocese of Coventry. That faith character is not presented as a bolt-on. It is used as a framework for how pupils treat one another, and for how the school talks about belonging and responsibility.

A clear through-line is the language of trust, respect and love, which is presented as the core lens for relationships and expectations. What matters for parents is how that plays out day to day. The latest inspection material describes pupils as feeling safe, forming strong relationships with adults, and looking out for each other at social times. Those are concrete indicators of a school where pastoral systems are not just written down, they are embedded.

Leadership stability is an important contextual point. The headteacher and deputy headteacher were appointed after the November 2019 inspection, signalling a period of renewal in senior leadership. The school website does not publish a specific start date for the current headteacher, so families who care about leadership tenure should ask directly when visiting.

This is a high-performing primary by any sensible benchmark, and the data is strong enough to be meaningful for parents comparing local options.

Rankings context (FindMySchool, based on official data)

Ranked 768th in England and 1st in Stratford-upon-Avon for primary outcomes. That places it well above the England average, within the top 10% of primary schools in England.

At Key Stage 2 in 2024:

• Reading, writing and mathematics (expected standard): 91.67% (England average: 62%).

• Reading scaled score: 109.

• Mathematics scaled score: 109.

• Grammar, punctuation and spelling scaled score: 110.

• Science expected standard: 93% (England average: 82%).

• Higher standard (reading, writing and mathematics): 36% (England average: 8%).

The implication is straightforward. Pupils here are not just clearing the expected bar, they are doing so in depth, and across the curriculum. In practical terms, that tends to translate into confident readers who can access demanding texts, and mathematicians who have secure number sense rather than only procedural methods.

One caveat is that high outcomes can create high expectations. That can be motivating for many pupils, but families should consider whether their child responds well to a culture where doing things properly matters, including presentation and sustained effort.

Teaching is described in the latest inspection as coherently structured, with curriculum content built carefully from early years upwards, so knowledge accumulates rather than being revisited in a shallow loop. Early reading is a particular strength: pupils begin phonics immediately in Reception, and the report describes children quickly becoming confident decoders and writers of simple sentences, with additional support for any pupils who need to keep pace.

The most useful detail for parents is where development work is still in progress. A stated next step is sharpening how the school checks what pupils have learned, both during lessons and at the end of topics, so gaps and misconceptions are identified early and addressed consistently. That is a technical point, but it matters, because strong assessment practice is often what protects high attainment when cohorts vary from year to year.

For families who like transparency, it is worth asking how the school communicates learning progression, and what pupils can do if they find a unit hard. High-performing schools are at their best when challenge is paired with quick intervention.

As a primary, the key output is readiness for secondary education, both academically and socially. The school’s curriculum focus on early reading and vocabulary development supports pupils to read fluently and confidently across subjects, which is one of the strongest predictors of a smooth transition into Year 7 learning across the board.

Transition is also treated as a pastoral milestone, not simply an administrative handover. Documents for Year 6 learning and personal development refer explicitly to preparing pupils for the move to secondary school and for the wider expectations that come with it, including relationships education, emotional changes, and keeping safe.

The school does not publish a single named list of destination secondary schools, and in Warwickshire these patterns vary by home address and year of transfer. Parents should use Warwickshire’s school place system to understand realistic options based on where they live, and then confirm how those secondary schools run transition for incoming Year 7 pupils.

Reception admissions are coordinated by Warwickshire as the local authority. For September 2026 entry, the application window opened on 01 November 2025 and the on-time deadline is 4.00pm on 15 January 2026. Offers are issued on 16 April 2026, with an extended deadline of 01 February 2026 for changes of address (subject to evidence).

Demand is clearly high. For the relevant measurement year, there were 89 applications for 30 offers, which is about 2.97 applications per place. The ratio between first preferences and first preference offers is 1.13, which suggests the school is a popular first-choice option rather than a fallback selection.

Because the last distance offered is not available for this school, families cannot rely on a single mileage figure to judge probability. The practical approach is to read Warwickshire’s admissions criteria carefully, confirm whether any supplementary information is required for this school type, and use FindMySchool’s Map Search to understand your likely travel pattern and practical drop-off feasibility.

Pastoral work here is strongly tied to behaviour, relationships and inclusion. The latest inspection material describes pupils as exceptionally well behaved, polite, and serious about learning, with incidents of poor behaviour described as rare. That kind of consistent culture usually frees teachers to teach, and reduces low-level classroom friction for pupils who are easily distracted.

Support for pupils with additional needs is presented as prompt and practical, with a specific emphasis on identifying barriers early and putting in place the right help without delay. The staffing structure published by the school includes a deputy headteacher who is also SENCO, which often helps ensure that inclusion is not treated as a separate track but as part of mainstream classroom practice.

The latest Ofsted inspection (1 and 2 April 2025) judged the school Good for quality of education and leadership and management, and Outstanding for behaviour and attitudes and personal development.

Safeguarding arrangements were found to be effective.

A small primary needs extracurricular life that is realistic in scale but still varied enough for pupils to find “their thing”. The school’s published club programmes show a practical mix of sport, languages, music, and communication.

Examples of named clubs and activities that appear in the school’s materials include:

• Singing Lessons and Choir Club (with termly programmes offered for Years 1 to 6).

• Afterschool Football Club and Football Lunchtime Club, typically offered to multiple year groups.

• French Club, positioned for older primary year groups in some terms.

• Makaton as an after-school offer, supporting communication and inclusive culture.

Music enrichment has a visible profile. The school references participation in Young Voices, which is a large-scale choir performance experience, and its published music development planning includes engagement with external choir opportunities.

The implication for parents is that extracurricular life is not simply a tick-box list. It is shaped around confidence, communication, and participation, which aligns well with the school’s wider emphasis on personal development.

The school day structure is published clearly. Morning session starts at 8.45am, with different end-of-day times depending on phase, including 3.15pm for Reception, 3.15pm for Key Stage 1, and 3.20pm for Key Stage 2.

Wraparound care is available, run by Ettington Pre School and based in the school hall during term time. The club is managed by Claire Parsons, and families need to check the provider’s published information for exact operating hours and booking arrangements.

For day-to-day logistics, school communications highlight safe parking expectations and point families towards using the community centre for parking rather than driving and parking on the close itself.

• Competition for places. With 89 applications for 30 offers in the relevant dataset year, demand is high. Families should approach admissions with a realistic plan B, particularly if their commute or childcare depends on this specific school.

• A culture of high expectations. The outcomes data suggests pupils are regularly stretched into higher standard work. That suits many children, but those who are anxious under academic pressure may need careful support at home and school to keep confidence high.

• Church of England character. The Christian ethos is a real part of school life. Families who want a school where faith is part of the shared language will find that reassuring; families who prefer a more neutral framework should explore how worship and values education operate in practice.

Ettington CofE Primary School combines the practical advantages of a village setting with results that stand out well beyond the local area. Behaviour and personal development are clear strengths, and academic outcomes indicate pupils leave Year 6 exceptionally well prepared.

It suits families who want a calm, structured primary, with a values-led culture, and who are comfortable with a Church of England framework. The main constraint is admissions competitiveness, so shortlisting should include at least one realistic alternative.