The Vine Christian School, Reading
The Vine Christian School is an independent school for pupils aged 3 to 18 in Reading. It has a Christian religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2024.
- Ofsted
- Good (2024)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
The Vine Christian School in detail
The Vine Christian School in its own words
In its own words: "Throughout our curriculum we emphasise the character traits of Jesus and our desire is to ensure in pursuing the character of Christ our students will demonstrate love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control towards those around them. As a school we seek truth and promote what is true and right, learning to serve one another in love."
From the headteacher's welcome: "At The Vine Christian School, we are passionate about equipping our students to succeed in all areas of life while encouraging them in their spiritual development. We foster an environment where the students have an opportunity to be individuals and where their differences are celebrated."
Vision and values (school website)Headteacher's welcome (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other independent schools to The Vine Christian School are Crosfields School (1.6 miles); Leighton Park School (2 miles, selective); OneSchool Global Reading Senior Campus (2.2 miles); and St Joseph's College (3 miles, selective).
Crosfields SchoolLeighton Park SchoolOneSchool Global Reading Senior CampusSt Joseph's College
What parents say
17 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about The Vine Christian School (as of September 2025): 100% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 50% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school supports their child's wider development (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (50%).
Who goes there
In 2026, 3 pupils (12.5%) received SEN support and 1 (4.2%) had an education, health and care plan.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Reading Green Park, about 1.9 miles away in a straight line.
3 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Three Mile Cross Post Office (opposite), 70 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood The Vine Christian School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. On income deprivation affecting children it is in the 8th decile, where the 1st is the most deprived. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Sources: Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Safeguarding: effective
Independent school standards
Met all the independent school standards.
- Part 1: quality of educationMet
- Part 2: pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural developmentMet
- Part 3: welfare, health and safetyMet
- Part 4: suitability of staff and proprietorsMet
- Part 5: premises and accommodationMet
- Part 6: information for parentsMet
- Part 7: handling of complaintsMet
- Part 8: leadership and managementMet
Source: Ofsted, non-association independent schools inspections and outcomes (Open Government Licence)
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's November 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This school excels at building a warm, harmonious community where children thrive. Behaviour is exceptional and pupils genuinely care for each other. The school gives reading top priority with excellent results, and character development is a real strength - children develop strong moral values and understanding of different beliefs.
Key Strengths
- Exemplary behaviour and attitudes - pupils are highly respectful, self-disciplined and look out for each other
- Strong reading programme - systematic phonics teaching from Nursery leads to fluent readers who enjoy books
- Excellent character development - pupils have strong understanding of spiritual, moral, social and cultural values
- Skilled teaching and support for pupils with SEND - needs identified quickly and teaching adjusted effectively
- Comprehensive careers guidance and preparation for post-16 options
Areas for Improvement
- Writing skills are underdeveloped - pupils don't apply writing well across the curriculum and expectations are sometimes too low
- Staff don't always identify gaps in knowledge quickly enough - some pupils are moved on to new concepts before they're ready
- Pupils need more opportunities to practise and improve their writing to reach consistently high standards
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with pupils confident in speaking to adults about concerns and knowing these will be addressed swiftly.
Extracurricular Activities
Table tennis, dodgeball, European Convention competition, sports opportunities
The Vine Christian School is a small friendly school where pupils enjoy attending and achieve well across all phases. The school has an ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum and staff treat pupils with genuine warmth.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
17 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby all-through schools
Keep up with The Vine Christian School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 4
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 4 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
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 Wokingham is 7 (the median across 85 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
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
48%
Available places
24 pupils
50 places
26 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Reading
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Reading
Across Wokingham council
Places available
2,293
Applications
2,318
Got 1st preference
82.4%
Got preferred school
97.9%
All secondary applications across Wokingham council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(9)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
3
SEN Support
1
EHC Plans
16.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
No need-level breakdown available
Pupil Demographics
Key Indicators
24
Total Pupils
20
Boys
4
Girls
2026 academic year
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
The Vine Christian School
Showing 10 of 11 linked schools
Questions parents ask about The Vine Christian School
What is The Vine Christian School's Ofsted rating?
The Vine Christian School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in November 2024.
Does The Vine Christian School meet the independent school standards?
At its most recent standard inspection, in November 2024, The Vine Christian School met all the independent school standards.
How many pupils go to The Vine Christian School?
The Vine Christian School has around 24 pupils on roll.
How do I apply to The Vine Christian School?
The Vine Christian School is an independent school and runs its own admissions rather than going through the local authority. Contact the school directly for entry requirements, assessment dates, fees and any bursaries.
How many road collisions happen near The Vine Christian School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 4 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 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 Wokingham is 7 (the median across 85 schools, same distance and years).
Where is The Vine Christian School?
The Vine Christian School is at Mitford Close, Basingstoke Road, Reading, Berkshire, RG7 1HF.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)