St Laurence Church of England School, Wallingford

Ofsted's report card from its 20 January 2026 inspection grades St Laurence Church of England School on 7 areas: 1 strong standard and 6 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Attendance and behaviour - Strong standard. "Pupils want to attend because the school is a welcoming, purposeful place where they feel known, valued and supported."

Achievement - Expected standard. "Pupils typically achieve well at this school."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "Leaders have a clear understanding of the quality of the curriculum and teaching."

Early years - Expected standard. "Children get off to a positive and settled start in the early years."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Leaders are rightly proud of the school's inclusive culture and practice."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders know the school's context, strengths and areas for development well."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Leaders ensure that the personal development programme is coherently planned and well suited to the school's context."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "• Leaders should further embed consistent handwriting expectations and increase opportunities for practice so that pupils develop fluent, legible writing across all subjects. • Leaders should refine the use of assessment systems in the wider curriculum to ensure that staff are able to identify gaps in essential knowledge more precisely and address these swiftly. • Leaders should continue to strengthen approaches that develop pupils' number fluency so that pupils are even better prepared for the next stages of their learning".

From the headteacher's welcome: "I feel incredibly proud to be Headteacher of our wonderful school. I work with a skilled and dedicated team, who know our children well and are passionate about giving children the best chances possible. Choosing a school for your child is probably one of the most important decisions you will have to make."

Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, rugby, hockey, cricket, tennis, gymnastics, swimming, choir, guitar and STEM.

The school runs a breakfast club from 8:00am.

In 2025, 80% of Year 6 pupils at St Laurence Church of England School reached the expected standard in reading and 80% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 78% and 75% in Oxfordshire and 77% and 75% across England.

Results fell from 100% in reading and 100% in maths in 2024.

With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.

For September 2026 entry, 17 families put St Laurence Church of England School as their first choice and 50 named it as one of their preferences, for 15 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 3 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state primary schools to St Laurence Church of England School are Dorchester St Birinus Church of England School (1.4 miles, Good, 63% reading, 38% maths); Benson Church of England Primary School (1.4 miles, Good, 55% reading, 45% maths); Brightwell-Cum-Sotwell Church of England Primary School (1.7 miles, Good, 91% reading, 87% maths); and St Nicholas CofE Primary School , Wallingford (2.2 miles, Good).

St Laurence Church of England School's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 3 schools.

St Laurence Church of England School is one of 46 schools run by Oxford Diocesan Schools Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's primary schools, 59% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.

59 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Laurence Church of England School (as of April 2026): 98% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 100% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (100%); the weakest, that pupils behave well (92%).

11.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 4.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 14 pupils (15.7%) received SEN support and 6 (6.7%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.

St Laurence Church of England School had 7 teachers in 2026, one for every 14 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.

The nearest tram or metro stop is Wallingford (Cholsey & Wallingford Railway), about 2.6 miles away in a straight line.

2 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Lawrence Church (opposite), 330 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Laurence Church of England School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 3 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences and other theft. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Oxfordshire (52).

St Laurence Church of England School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.