Water Hall Primary School, Milton Keynes
Water Hall Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Milton Keynes, part of Tove Learning Trust. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2023. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in July 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 60th-highest of the 60 schools in Milton Keynes with published results, and 14,209th of 14,452 across England. It was 59% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2023)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Milton Keynes (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Water Hall Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 38% of Year 6 pupils at Water Hall Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 50% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 78% and 78% in Milton Keynes and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 45% in reading and 52% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Water Hall Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 10 families put Water Hall Primary School as their first choice and 18 named it as one of their preferences, for 11 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Water Hall Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Water Hall Primary School are Newton Leys Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 67% reading, 74% maths); Drayton Park School (0.3 miles, 74% reading, 81% maths); Bishop Parker Catholic School (0.6 miles, Good, 73% reading, 83% maths); and The Premier Academy (0.7 miles, Outstanding, 85% reading, 85% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Water Hall Primary School.
Newton Leys Primary SchoolDrayton Park SchoolBishop Parker Catholic SchoolThe Premier Academy
The trust
Water Hall Primary School is one of 16 schools run by Tove Learning Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 65% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
58.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 33.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (45%), Black (15%) and Mixed (14%).
In 2026, 43 pupils (23.6%) received SEN support and 7 (3.8%) 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.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Bletchley Rail Station, about 1.3 miles away in a straight line.
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Tulla Court (adjacent), 30 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Water Hall Primary School stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Water Hall Primary School issued 17 suspensions, 8.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.
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; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's July 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Water Hall Primary School excels at creating a kind, caring environment where every child feels they belong and are well looked after. The school offers pupils many enriching opportunities and leadership roles, helping them grow as people. Early years provision is particularly strong, preparing young children well for the next stage of their learning.
Key Strengths
- Strong focus on kindness and pupil well-being, creating a happy and welcoming school community
- Good behavior and positive attitudes to learning, with excellent early years provision that prepares children well for Year 1
- Improved phonics teaching with better consistency and higher expectations, leading to more pupils reading fluently
- Well-considered personal development opportunities with many clubs and leadership roles for pupils
- Improved provision for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, with needs identified precisely
Areas for Improvement
- Teachers do not routinely check that pupils fully understand previous learning before moving on to new content, causing gaps in knowledge to persist
- Errors in spelling, punctuation and handwriting often go unchecked, leading to pupils repeating the same mistakes over time
- Very low national test results in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6 in 2023 and 2024
- Many improved curriculums are still in early stages of implementation, affecting pupil achievement
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with the school creating a culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Sports clubs, arts and craft clubs, singing, talks with NSPCC and local police officers, kindness ambassador roles
Water Hall Primary School requires improvement in the quality of education, though the school has tackled previous weaknesses with commitment. Pupils are happy, feel safe, and benefit from a kind and welcoming environment centered on community values.
At a Glance
58.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 45% to 38% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 50% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 42% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
22.0
Avg class size
22.0
Infant (KS1)
1
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Water Hall Primary School
Before and after school care
Water Hall Primary School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Milton Keynes
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Water Hall Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Water Hall Primary School is in Milton Keynes; for families living there:
- Milton Keynes's school travel policy: School Travel Support Policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 6
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 1
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, 1 serious and 5 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
3 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 Milton Keynes is 8 (the median across 125 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 Water Hall Primary School
Will you get a place at Water Hall Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Water Hall Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Water Hall Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Water Hall Primary School.
- Milton Keynes publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Water Hall Primary School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Water Hall Primary School for 2021 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Milton Keynes 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
59%
Available places
185 pupils
315 places
130 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Milton Keynes
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Milton Keynes
Across Milton Keynes council
Places available
4,130
Applications
3,155
Got 1st preference
95.0%
Got preferred school
99.4%
All primary applications across Milton Keynes council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
43
SEN Support
7
EHC Plans
27.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
182
Total Pupils
88
Boys
94
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
11
Teachers
16.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,919
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,980
Per pupil
£1577k
Total funding
£176k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.5%
Overall absence
22.4%
Persistent absence
192
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
Water Hall Primary School
Questions parents ask about Water Hall Primary School
What are SATs results like at Water Hall Primary School?
Of the pupils at Water Hall Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 38% reached the expected standard in reading and 50% did so in maths.
What is Water Hall Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Water Hall Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in July 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2023, it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for Water Hall Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Water Hall Primary School is oversubscribed, Milton Keynes allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Water Hall Primary School?
Water Hall Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 59% of its 315 places.
How big are the classes at Water Hall Primary School?
Classes at Water Hall Primary School average 22 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Water Hall Primary School?
Water Hall Primary School has around 182 pupils on roll. 59% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Water Hall Primary School?
6.5% of sessions were missed at Water Hall Primary School in 2024/25. 22.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Water Hall Primary School?
Apply through Milton Keynes's coordinated admissions process, naming Water Hall 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.
Does Water Hall Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Water Hall Primary School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school.
How many road collisions happen near Water Hall 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, 1 serious and 5 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 3 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 Milton Keynes is 8 (the median across 125 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Water Hall Primary School?
Water Hall Primary School is at Fern Grove, Bletchley, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK2 3QF.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)