The Elms Primary School, Faringdon
The Elms Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Faringdon, part of Cambrian Learning Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in May 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 5th-highest of the 6 schools in Faringdon with published results, and 7,842nd of 14,452 across England. For 2026 entry it had 1.3 first-choice applications for every place. It was 69% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2014)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Oxfordshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
The Elms Primary School in detail
The Elms Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Please get in touch if you wish to discuss any aspect of school life."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, netball, multi-sports, choir and guitar.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Clubs (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 76% of Year 6 pupils at The Elms Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 76% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 78% and 75% in Oxfordshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 63% in reading and 60% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at The Elms Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 34 families put The Elms Primary School as their first choice and 81 named it as one of their preferences, for 27 places offered. That is 1.3 first choices for every place. 9 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at The Elms Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to The Elms Primary School are Folly View Primary (0.7 miles, Good); Shellingford Church of England (Voluntary Aided) School (2.4 miles, Good, 93% reading, 67% maths); Longcot and Fernham Church of England Primary School (3 miles, Requires improvement, 89% reading, 72% maths); and Clanfield CofE Primary School (3.8 miles, Good, 88% reading, 56% maths).
The Elms Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 3 schools.
Folly View PrimaryShellingford Church of England (Voluntary Aided) SchoolLongcot and Fernham Church of England Primary SchoolClanfield CofE Primary School
The trust
The Elms Primary School is one of 18 schools run by Cambrian Learning Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 62% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
54 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about The Elms Primary School (as of September 2025): 89% would recommend the school, 94% say their child is happy there and 63% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child does well at the school (94%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (63%).
Who goes there
4.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of The Elms Primary School.
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is The Elms School Stop (e-bound), 40 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, The Elms Primary School issued 4 suspensions, 1.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoThis judgement is from January 2014, 12 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's May 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This is a friendly, inclusive school where children are encouraged to be kind and resilient. Teachers know pupils well and use regular checks to help them learn effectively. The school has a strong focus on reading right from Nursery, and recently made big improvements to behaviour and pupil attitudes.
Key Strengths
- Strong focus on reading - systematic approach with well-trained staff and additional support for pupils who fall behind
- Behaviour has improved dramatically this year through consistent approaches and positive relationships
- Teachers have excellent subject knowledge and present concepts clearly
- Well-planned personal development programme covering healthy relationships, online safety and different cultures
- Inclusive approach with good systems to identify and support pupils with special needs
Areas for Improvement
- Some tasks in the wider curriculum are not challenging enough, meaning pupils don't always apply their learning confidently and independently
- Extended writing tasks need to be more ambitious
- Last year's published outcomes were below national average in reading and mathematics
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with leaders creating an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Sporting festivals, science fairs, assemblies, community performances, mystery reader visits from parents/carers
The Elms Primary School is an inclusive and happy community where pupils feel safe and supported. The school has made notable improvements under current leadership, with better behaviour and a more positive culture.
At a Glance
19.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
54 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 63% to 76% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 60% to 76% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 70% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
25.1
Avg class size
23.0
Infant (KS1)
27.0
KS2
10
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with The Elms Primary School
Term dates
The Elms Primary School is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Oxfordshire's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to The Elms Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. The Elms Primary School is in Oxfordshire; for families living there:
- Oxfordshire's school travel policy: Free home to school travel assistance
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 6
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 4 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
2 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Oxfordshire is 5 (the median across 369 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at The Elms Primary School
Will you get a place at The Elms Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against The Elms Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for The Elms Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to The Elms Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Oxfordshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at The Elms Primary School for 2018 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Oxfordshire got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
69%
Available places
288 pupils
420 places
132 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Faringdon
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Faringdon
Across Oxfordshire council
Places available
8,615
Applications
6,903
Got 1st preference
94.0%
Got preferred school
99.3%
All primary applications across Oxfordshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
53
SEN Support
9
EHC Plans
24.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
251
Total Pupils
144
Boys
107
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
14
Teachers
17.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,212
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,239
Per pupil
£1709k
Total funding
£88k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.1%
Overall absence
16.8%
Persistent absence
268
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
The Elms Primary School
Questions parents ask about The Elms Primary School
What are SATs results like at The Elms Primary School?
Of the pupils at The Elms Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 76% reached the expected standard in reading and 76% did so in maths.
What is The Elms Primary School's Ofsted rating?
The Elms Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in May 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in January 2014, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for The Elms Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When The Elms Primary School is oversubscribed, Oxfordshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at The Elms Primary School?
The Elms Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 69% of its 420 places.
How big are the classes at The Elms Primary School?
Classes at The Elms Primary School average 25.1 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to The Elms Primary School?
The Elms Primary School has around 251 pupils on roll. 20% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at The Elms Primary School?
5.1% of sessions were missed at The Elms Primary School in 2024/25. 16.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to The Elms Primary School?
Apply through Oxfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming The Elms Primary School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
How many road collisions happen near The Elms Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 4 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 2 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Oxfordshire is 5 (the median across 369 schools, same distance and years).
Where is The Elms Primary School?
The Elms Primary School is at The Elms, Gloucester Street, Faringdon, Oxfordshire, SN7 7HZ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)