Stanton Harcourt CofE Primary School Review 2026: A small Church of England primary with top-tier KS2 outcomes and a strong early years pathway

The standout here is the academic profile at the end of Key Stage 2. In 2024, 96% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, far above the England average of 62%, alongside strong scaled scores across reading, maths and grammar, punctuation and spelling. This is the sort of data that usually signals clear routines, consistent teaching, and a culture where pupils know what good work looks like.

Scale matters too. With a capacity of 130 and around 100 pupils on roll, the school has a smaller feel than many Oxfordshire primaries, with class structures that group year bands together (for example, Years 1 and 2). That smaller size can suit families who value familiarity and continuity, but it also means year groups can be tight, and availability can change quickly if families move into the area.

The school is part of the Eynsham Partnership Academy Trust, with a Church of England character that is visible in its published vision and spirituality work. For families seeking a village school that combines faith-based identity with very high attainment measures, this is a compelling option.

A clear through-line is the language of belonging and shared responsibility. The school’s published vision centres on Living, Learning and Growing Together, framed explicitly as a Church of England community, and this shows up in the way pupil leadership is positioned as part of daily culture rather than an occasional add-on. A good example is the way leadership roles are described in inspection materials, including a safeguarding squad and an active school council with a role in organising events and representing pupils’ views.

The small-school structure is also a defining feature of “how it feels”. Class organisation is named and consistent: Bunnies for Nursery, Busy Bees for Reception, Hedgehogs for Years 1 and 2, Badgers for Years 3 and 4, and Owls for Years 5 and 6. For younger pupils, this kind of stable class identity can support confidence and help children feel known, particularly in the first year or two of school.

Leadership is local and legible. The headteacher is Mrs Faye Tingley, and Trust material describes her progression from classroom teacher at the school (joining in 2017) through senior responsibilities, and then appointment to the Head of School position in 2022. That matters because it suggests continuity of approach and a leader who already understands the village context, the cohort mix, and the practical realities of a small primary.

As a Church of England school, faith is not treated as a badge, it is integrated into published statements about worship, values, and spiritual development. One distinctive example is the “Peacock’s Gift” spirituality statement, which uses the peacock as a symbolic framework for noticing and wonder, celebrating individual gifts, and belonging within a wider community, explicitly linked to a biblical reference in Romans. For families seeking an ethos that puts faith and reflection into everyday language, this is a meaningful marker; for those who prefer a more secular approach, it is worth reading closely before choosing.

This is a school with unusually strong Key Stage 2 outcomes in the available data.

In 2024, 96% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with the England average of 62%. At the higher standard, 37.67% reached greater depth across reading, writing and maths, compared with the England average of 8%. Those are not marginal differences, they point to a cohort achieving well above typical benchmarks.

Scaled scores reinforce the picture. Reading is 111, maths is 109, and grammar, punctuation and spelling is 109. The combined reading, GPS and maths score total is 329.

Rankings (FindMySchool ranking based on official data) place the school 551st in England for primary outcomes and 2nd locally in the Witney area. In plain terms, that is well above England average performance, within the top 10% of schools in England.

For parents comparing options, this is exactly where FindMySchool’s Local Hub and Comparison Tool earns its keep. Schools with similar “Good” inspection histories can have very different attainment profiles, and this dataset is a strong signal that outcomes here are consistently high for a small village primary.

One note of discipline: primary outcomes are only one lens. In small cohorts, percentage swings can be sharper than in large urban primaries. The right way to read these figures is as a strong indicator of teaching effectiveness and curriculum coherence, then confirm the feel and fit by reading the curriculum information, talking to staff, and understanding the support available for different learners.

The inspection narrative describes a well-designed curriculum where pupils build knowledge over time, with a clear sense that expectations are high and sustained. That tends to correlate with two practical realities: (1) staff using shared routines and consistent lesson structures, and (2) leaders being clear about what must be taught, when, and how it is checked. The high scaled scores in reading and the very strong expected-standard rate suggest that core literacy and numeracy are tightly taught, rather than left to chance.

Early years is a key part of the educational model here. Nursery and Reception are described as being based together in a purpose-built Early Years Unit, with mixed-age interaction designed to support a smoother transition into Reception. The school also describes planned play-based learning that still deliberately threads early reading, early writing, and early number through the environment on a weekly basis. For many families, that balance is ideal: developmentally appropriate practice with a clear line of sight to the strong Key Stage 2 outcomes later on.

For pupils who need additional support, the school’s wider safeguarding and SEND documentation is published through its Trust, and school contact information identifies a named SENCO. As ever, the most useful question for parents is practical: how support is delivered inside mixed-age classes, and how teaching assistants are deployed for pupils who require targeted help without being pulled away from core learning too often.

For a village primary, transition is often about consistency and familiarity, and the school is explicit about its typical pathway. The large majority of pupils move on to Bartholomew School in Eynsham, described as a mixed comprehensive, with links built through curriculum and community events. Year 6 pupils are reported to make several visits as part of induction, which matters because transition can be a sizeable step for pupils moving from a small setting into a much larger secondary environment.

Because the school serves a wider rural area, families will also weigh transport time and after-school commitments when choosing secondary options. The best approach is to treat Year 5 and early Year 6 as the planning window, ask the school how they support families with secondary decision-making, and understand what “typical” means for your child’s specific friendship group and interests.

Reception admissions are coordinated by Oxfordshire County Council. The school states that pupils are admitted in the September of the academic year in which they turn five, and it also specifies an admission number of 20 per year group. As a small school, that number is important, it sets the scale of the year group and the likely availability if a cohort is particularly full.

Oxfordshire’s published timetable for Reception entry for September 2026 is clear: applications open on 04 November 2025 and close on 15 January 2026, with National Offer Day on 16 April 2026. If you are moving house, Oxfordshire also sets a date for address-change confirmation as part of the same cycle.

Demand looks meaningful in the available admissions figures, with an oversubscribed picture and roughly 3.6 applications per place in the most recent dataset. The implication is straightforward: families should be realistic about the likelihood of getting a place if they are relying on proximity or last-minute plans, and should keep alternative schools under active review.

If you are trying to sense-check distance and likely priority, FindMySchoolMap Search is the practical tool to use early. Even when official distance cut-offs are not published in a simple format, mapping your home-to-gate distance helps you plan with more precision than postcode-level guesswork.

Nursery entry is handled differently. The school publishes nursery information and encourages families to contact the office for places and funding guidance. For early years, the key is to understand the pattern of sessions available, how funded hours work, and whether attending Nursery influences Reception transition in practice (it often helps socially, but does not automatically change admissions rules for Reception).

Pastoral culture in small primaries is often about everyday consistency rather than big programmes, and the inspection narrative places weight on calm behaviour, positive relationships, and pupils feeling that their voice is heard. Pupil leadership roles also do a lot of pastoral work indirectly: when a school council is genuine, it gives children a structured route to raise concerns, suggest changes, and practise responsibility in ways that support confidence.

Safeguarding structures are a key part of wellbeing, and the published safeguarding policy framework is Trust-based, reflecting current statutory expectations. For parents, the real-world question to ask is how the school handles low-level issues early, how it communicates with families, and what the escalation route is when concerns involve peer relationships or persistent worries.

For a small primary, the most useful indicator is not how many clubs exist on paper, but whether clubs are regular, staffed reliably, and accessible to pupils across year groups.

The school publishes termly club examples and describes an Autumn Term offer that includes Football Club (Years 1 to 6) running twice weekly, and a Lego club open to Years 1 to 6. Those choices make sense for a mixed-age school, they support both physical activity and creative problem-solving, and they work with flexible skill levels.

A second pillar is pupil responsibility and community-facing activity. The published Uganda link work is unusually detailed for a primary, with sustained fundraising and practical projects over multiple years. Examples include fundraising for playground equipment at partner schools, a “Happy Feet” campaign funding school shoes to reduce foot parasites, and provision of tablets and class-selected items such as water filters and school kit. Specific totals are reported by the school for recent years, including £825 raised in 2023 to 2024 for tablet provision and class-selected items, and a further campaign aiming to fund additional playground provision. For pupils, the implication is a real, age-appropriate education in service, global awareness, and purposeful charity rather than one-off events.

Finally, it is worth noting the infrastructure of enrichment in a small setting. Inspection commentary highlights a “wide range” of activities, with clubs, trips, and performances referenced as part of pupils’ broader experience. That is exactly where parents should ask for the live calendar view when they visit, since the rhythm of trips, productions, and special events often matters as much as academics in a primary experience.

Wraparound care is clearly signposted. Breakfast Club runs 8.00am to 8.40am, and an after-school club runs Monday to Thursday with two sessions, 3.10pm to 4.15pm and 4.15pm to 5.15pm. The published prices are £4 per Breakfast Club session and £6 per hour for after-school club.

The school’s admissions page notes that Oxfordshire manages Reception admissions centrally, while in-year applications are also handled through the local authority. For transport, this is a village setting, so many families will prioritise walkability, cycling safety, or short car journeys, and should check realistic travel time in winter conditions before committing to a wraparound-heavy routine.

• Small-school dynamics. With a capacity of 130 and around 100 pupils, year groups are not large. That can feel supportive and familiar, but it can also mean friendship groups are tight and cohort changes can have a noticeable impact.

• Church of England character. The Christian vision and spirituality work are prominent, including a published spirituality statement and references to worship. Families seeking a more secular ethos should read these materials carefully before shortlisting.

• Competition for places. The available admissions figures indicate an oversubscribed picture, with several applications per place. If you are relying on this option, keep realistic alternatives live until offers are confirmed.

• Nursery to Reception transition. Nursery and Reception share an Early Years Unit and the school positions this as a seamless transition. It is still important to understand how Reception places are allocated and what continuity looks like for children who do not attend the Nursery.

Stanton Harcourt CofE Primary School combines a small-school feel with Key Stage 2 outcomes that stand well above England averages, plus a clear early years pathway and a Church of England identity that is actively expressed in its published ethos. Best suited to families who want a village primary with high academic expectations, structured routines, and a faith-informed culture, and who are prepared to plan early for admissions and wraparound logistics.