Shaw-cum-Donnington C.E. Primary School, Newbury

Requires Improvement
Primary
Voluntary controlled school
Mixed
Church of England
Ages 311

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~634m)Possible (~906m)Unlikely (~1.2km)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Ms Lindsay Wakefield
Pupils:91 / 98 capacity
LA:West Berkshire
Phone:0163540971
Address:Love Lane, Donnington, Newbury, RG14 2JG
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 1 year ago
-

Overall

Good

Quality of Education

Good

Behaviour & Attitudes

Good

Personal Development

Good

Leadership & Management

Outstanding

Early Years

Inspected 1 July 2025View full report
URN:109974
UKPRN:10075741
Diocese:Diocese of Oxford
Constituency:Newbury
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

This caring village school creates a warm, inclusive environment where every child feels they belong. Staff know pupils well and are committed to helping every child succeed, with particularly outstanding provision in early years. The school offers a balanced curriculum with a strong focus on reading and enrichment activities that broaden pupils' horizons.

Key Strengths

  • Outstanding early years provision with children making excellent academic and personal progress
  • Strong reading culture with effective phonics programme helping pupils become confident, fluent readers
  • Excellent leadership and staff commitment to high-quality education and professional development
  • Calm, orderly classrooms where pupils show pride in their work and strong motivation to achieve
  • Well-planned enrichment programme including educational visits, theatre trips and residential experiences

Areas for Improvement

  • In some foundation subjects, task design does not give pupils enough opportunities to think deeply, reason and solve problems independently
  • Pupils recall facts well but are less secure in applying subject-specific skills independently
  • Attendance needs to continue improving for some pupils

Safeguarding

Safeguarding arrangements are effective with an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.

Extracurricular Activities

Educational visits to museums and theatre, places of worship, residential trips including abseiling, school council work supporting local charities

Shaw-cum-Donnington C.E. Primary School is a village school at the heart of the community where warm friendships flourish and pupils feel safe and happy. The school has improved significantly from its previous 'requires improvement' rating, with strong leadership and high expectations driving successful pupil outcomes.

At a Glance

36.5%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

Yes

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

What Parents Think

22 responses
Would recommend82%
Child is happy86%
Well taught91%
Good progress73%
Feels safe91%
Well behaved82%
Bullying dealt with9%
Kept informed86%
Handles concerns50%
Wider development77%

Source: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading-7ppMaths-7ppWriting+7pp

Reading has declined from 87% to 80%. Maths has declined from 67% to 60%. Writing has improved from 80% to 87%.

Class Sizes

20.3

Avg class size

12.0

Infant (KS1)

3

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Bus Stops

Bastion Sreeet
112m · 2 min walk
Bastion Street
161m · 3 min walk
Northern Avenue (Adj)
166m · 3 min walk
Dene Way (On)
234m · 4 min walk
Garrison Meadows
255m · 4 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

93%

Near capacity

91 pupils

98 capacity

7 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Newbury

Low pressure
New homes approved:1,337
Projected new pupils:334

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Newbury

Admissions Demand - West Berkshire

Low demand0.77x oversubscription

Places available

1,973

Applications

1,515

Got 1st preference

93.9%

Got preferred school

98.9%

Primary admissions across West Berkshire (2025/26)

Inspection History(12)

1 July 2025
Quality of EducationGood
Behaviour & AttitudesGood
Personal DevelopmentGood
Leadership & ManagementGood
Early YearsOutstanding
4 June 2024
11 October 2022
Requires ImprovementReport
Quality of EducationRequires Improvement
Behaviour & AttitudesGood
Personal DevelopmentGood
Leadership & ManagementRequires Improvement
Early YearsGood

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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.

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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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Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

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School Funding

Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

6.02709%

Overall absence

18.07229%

Persistent absence

83

Enrolments

Authorised4.66922%
Unauthorised1.35787%
Persistent (10%+)18.07229%
Severe (50%+)1.20482%

Absence trend

4.05405%
18/19
3.54858%
20/21
5.27715%
21/22
6.02566%
22/23
5.19885%
23/24
6.02709%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

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