Nailsworth Church of England Primary School Review 2026: High expectations, big outdoors, and a purposeful culture

A one-form entry primary with a clear sense of direction. Since September 2023, executive headteacher Sarah Broadbent has overseen a period of rapid improvement, with raised expectations and a redesigned curriculum that aims to be more ambitious across subjects.

The most recent Ofsted inspection (10 December 2024) graded the school Good across every judgement area, including early years, and confirmed safeguarding as effective.

Academically, the 2024 key stage 2 picture is strong. 84% reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, comfortably above the England average of 62%. At the higher standard, 28.67% achieved greater depth compared with 8% nationally, which signals not just solid basics but genuine stretch for the highest attainers.

The tone here is warm but structured. Pupils are described as happy in a safe and welcoming setting, and there is a strong emphasis on shared language and routines. School values are explicit, and pupils are expected to live them in everyday interactions, both in lessons and at play.

The school’s Christian identity is not a label bolted on for governance purposes. The January 2024 section 48 inspection indicated the school is living up to its foundation as a Church school, and the website frames its vision and values through that lens.

Pastoral support has some distinctive features. The school uses the Thrive Approach, with licensed practitioners named, including the executive headteacher and the pastoral head of school, and it positions Thrive as a structured way to understand behaviour and target support through action plans and activities.

A final detail that tells you something about the culture is Beau, the school dog, a Toy Poodle used for one-to-one support, particularly for pupils who are anxious, dealing with difficult experiences, or building confidence around social interaction. Whether or not a school dog matters to your child, it speaks to a setting that invests in relational support as well as routines.

This is a primary school with published key stage 2 outcomes, and the published figures suggest a strong platform at the end of Year 6.

In 2024:

• 84% reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, versus an England average of 62%.

• 28.67% achieved the higher standard in reading, writing and maths, versus an England average of 8%.

• Average scaled scores were 107 in reading, 107 in maths, and 108 in grammar, punctuation and spelling, all above the national midpoint scale of 100.

On the FindMySchool rankings (based on official outcomes data), the school is ranked 2,793rd in England for primary outcomes and 7th in Stroud. That places it above the England average overall, within the top quarter of schools nationally (top 25%).

There is also evidence of momentum rather than a one-off spike. The most recent Ofsted report links improved published outcomes to higher expectations and curriculum redevelopment. That matters because it suggests leadership decisions are translating into classroom practice, not just polishing results at the end.

The curriculum story has two parts: a strong focus on the core, plus a deliberate push to make foundation subjects coherent and cumulative.

Reading is a headline strength. The school is described as having a strong reading culture with books prominent across the curriculum, and early reading is supported by ongoing checks and targeted help for pupils who begin to fall behind. The report also references above average Year 1 phonics outcomes in 2024, which points to effective early decoding teaching, not just comprehension work in older year groups.

In maths, teaching leans on retrieval and revisiting. Daily “flashbacks” are cited as a way to keep key knowledge active, which tends to suit pupils who benefit from regular low-stakes practice rather than occasional high-pressure tests.

The development area is worth understanding. The most recent inspection highlights that in a few subjects, it is not consistently clear how new learning connects to prior knowledge, and that assessment systems in some wider curriculum subjects are still being embedded so leaders can be confident about what pupils remember long term. This is not a red flag, but it is a useful “watch item” for families who care about the full breadth of the curriculum, not only English and maths.

For Gloucestershire families, the practical pathway is straightforward: most children transfer to secondary at 11 after Year 6, and the county runs a coordinated transfer process.

What varies is the best-fit destination. Rather than relying on hearsay about “typical” secondary schools, families are better served by confirming current catchment and transport areas for their own address, since these can be criteria-driven and sensitive to boundary details. Gloucestershire’s Find a School tool is designed for that purpose.

In school, preparation for the move tends to be strongest when pupils leave with secure literacy, confidence with maths, and the personal organisation to handle a larger timetable. The combination of strong key stage 2 outcomes and the school’s focus on behaviour routines and responsibility points towards pupils leaving well prepared for that transition.

This is a state school with no tuition fees. Admission into Reception is coordinated by Gloucestershire local authority, and the published admission number for Reception is 30.

Demand is real. The most recently reported Reception admissions cycle recorded 28 applications for 21 offers, with the school classified as oversubscribed. That is not “London-level” pressure, but it is enough to mean you should take the process and deadlines seriously.

For September 2026 entry in Gloucestershire, the key dates set out in the county’s guidance include:

• Applications open on Monday 3 November 2025

• Closing date is Thursday 15 January 2026 (at midnight)

• Allocation day is Thursday 16 April 2026

• Deadline to respond and request waiting list places is Thursday 23 April 2026

The school also describes a thoughtful induction for Reception, including taster sessions in June and July and a gradual start in September, with home visits referenced as part of the settling-in approach. This will suit children who need time to build confidence in a new setting.

Parents who want to sense whether the school feels right should plan early. Visits are encouraged, and open events tend to cluster across the autumn term for the following September intake, but exact dates can vary year by year, so it is sensible to check the school’s calendar and book promptly when slots are released.

Pastoral support is not framed as an add-on. The Thrive Approach is used as a structured method for supporting emotional health, wellbeing and social skills, with assessments and action plans, and the school is explicit that some support is one-to-one or small group, using play- and arts-based activities where appropriate.

Alongside Thrive, there is a whole-school mental wellbeing programme, My Happy Mind, delivered weekly and supported through assemblies and wider activities. The school positions it as a preventative approach designed to build resilience and self-esteem, and it names a staff ambassador for the programme.

Behaviour expectations are high and consistent. Pupils are expected to meet clear “ready, respectful, safe” routines, and the inspection describes learning as flowing without disruption, which is often what parents mean when they ask whether a school is calm and focused.

This is an outdoors-forward school, and it uses its setting to offer breadth.

Clubs and competitive sport

The clubs list is unusually varied for a one-form entry primary. Options noted include Lego, woodwork, fencing, martial arts, nature, gardening, French, and a long list of sports. Some clubs are delivered by external providers and have a cost, so it is worth checking term-by-term offers if budget is a factor.

Competitive sport is part of the culture in key stage 2, with inter-school and inter-county matches referenced, plus tournaments across the year such as cross country, netball, swimming gala, rugby, orienteering and athletics.

Forest School, properly integrated

Forest School is weekly for every year group from Reception to Year 6. Sessions are mainly on the school site, with key stage 2 also using local woodland areas including Norton wood, Highwood, and Woodchester Park. Activities mentioned include den building, tool use, cooking over an open fire, and ecosystem exploration.

The implication for families is practical: children will need appropriate kit across the year, and the experience will suit pupils who learn well through hands-on tasks and managed risk, not only desk work.

Literature culture and author access

The school makes reading culture visible through events, not only lessons. Every child from Year 1 upwards is expected to attend Stroud Literature Festival over their time at the school, and the school runs its own Nailsworth Literature Festival each February, with visiting authors. Recent named visitors include Christopher Edge, Sam Sedgman and Tracey Corderoy.

Forest Green Rovers and local partnerships

A genuinely local feature is the relationship with Forest Green Rovers Football Club next door. The school describes academy visits and a pupil ambassador role, including matchday opportunities such as selling programmes, ball boy or ball girl roles, and walking out with players for selected fixtures, alongside stadium visits and vegan cookery sessions linked to the club’s ethos.

A community facility on site

Outside the school day, the site operates as Nailsworth Recreation Centre, with facilities that many primaries simply do not have: a full-size gym, plus a main hall with a stage and glass doors opening onto outdoor areas. The main hall’s approximate dimensions are given as 17m by 12.3m, and the MUGA is described as fenced and floodlit AstroTurf.

For children, this tends to mean more space for sports, performances and events. For parents, it can also mean more traffic at peak times because the site serves wider community use in the evenings.

The gates open at 8.30am and pupils should be in class for registration at 8.50am. The school day finishes at 3.15pm, and many after-school clubs typically run until 4.15pm.

Wraparound care is clearly set out. Breakfast club runs from 7.40am to 8.40am. After-school club runs until 5.45pm Monday to Thursday and 5.15pm on Friday, with session pricing published, plus an optional dinner add-on for later sessions.

For travel, the school operates a one-way system for cars at drop-off and pick-up, and it actively encourages safe parking and careful crossing arrangements. Families who plan to drive regularly should factor this into morning routines, particularly in winter months when roads and visibility can be challenging.

• Oversubscription pressure. Demand exceeds places in Reception in the most recently reported cycle. Families should treat deadlines as non-negotiable and have realistic backups in their list of preferences.

• Curriculum breadth is still being refined. Core strengths are clear, but the inspection notes that in a few subjects, connections between prior and new learning are not consistently mapped, and assessment systems in some wider subjects are still being embedded.

• Some enrichment has a cost. A number of clubs are delivered by external providers and carry a fee, and trips rely on parental support. Families should ask what is optional versus expected across the year.

• No on-site nursery provision. Children typically join at Reception, and early years provision sits within the school’s Reception setting rather than a nursery phase.

A values-led primary with a purposeful feel, strong end-of-primary outcomes, and a distinctive offer around outdoors, sport, and reading culture. The leadership model since September 2023 has brought clear momentum, and the 2024 inspection profile supports a picture of consistency across the school, not just in pockets.

Who it suits: families who want a structured, high-expectation environment, with weekly Forest School, broad clubs, and a clear pastoral framework. The main limitation is admission itself, since demand can run ahead of places.