Groveside School, Reading
Data last updated 11 Sept 2026
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 7 months agoReport card - no overall grade (new Ofsted framework from Sep 2024)
Ofsted Insights
What This School Does Well
Groveside School excels at welcoming pupils who have experienced disrupted education and helping them re-engage with learning in a supportive environment. Staff build trusting relationships with pupils and use well-informed knowledge of their interests to motivate them. The school provides targeted support for disadvantaged pupils, those with special educational needs and disabled pupils, helping them prepare confidently for their next steps.
Key Strengths
- Strong focus on reading with structured approaches and staff training to develop essential skills
- Effective inclusive practice with coordinated support from therapists and external agencies
- Calm, respectful environment with warm relationships between staff and pupils
- Well-developed curriculum with clear pathways and aspirational end points
- Successful work rebuilding attendance and confidence for pupils with history of low attendance
Areas for Improvement
- Some pupils do not develop basic literacy and numeracy skills as well as they could
- Staff do not always check pupils' understanding precisely enough during lessons
- Some pupils do not show sustained improvement in managing their own behaviour over time
- Staff teaching PSHE outside their specialism have not received specific training
- Occasionally lesson activities do not fully reflect pupils' different starting points
Safeguarding
Safeguarding standards are met, with leaders establishing an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified and managed, resulting in pupils feeling safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Clubs, enrichment activities, community experiences, residential visits (skiing trip to Italy), football, board games
Groveside School is an independent school that provides a second chance for pupils who have experienced significant disruption to their education. The school creates a calm, nurturing environment where pupils feel safe and supported while making steady progress through a well-structured curriculum.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
0.0
Avg class size
0
Total classes
2024/25 academic year
Getting There
Bus Stops
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
60%
Available places
36 pupils
60 capacity
24 spare places available
Area Demand Pressure - Reading
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Reading
Admissions Demand - Reading
Places available
1,806
Applications
1,870
Got 1st preference
77.3%
Got preferred school
97.1%
Secondary admissions across Reading (2025/26)
Inspection History(2)
House Prices
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SEN Provision
How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.
Pupil Demographics
The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.
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Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Groveside School
The Palmer Primary Academy
New Christ Church Church of England Primary School
Redlands Primary School
Trinity Christian School
Katesgrove Primary School
St John's Church of England Primary School
Coley Primary School
Whitley Park Primary and Nursery School
Alfred Sutton Primary School
New Town Primary School
Showing 10 of 15 linked schools
Nearby Schools
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