Valley Road School

  • Primary
  • Local authority maintained
  • Ages 4 to 11
Ofsted: Good

Valley Road, Valley Road School, Henley-on-Thames, RG9 1RROpen in maps (opens in a new tab)

Valley Road School is a primary school in Henley-on-Thames for ages 4 to 11. It is one of the 359 schools in Oxfordshire. It ranks 5th of 226 primary schools in Oxfordshire. Its latest Ofsted rating is Good, from an inspection in February 2012.

Ofsted inspection

Inspected 23 February 2012, report published 15 March 2012

Overall effectiveness
Good
Leadership and management
Good

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 15 March 2022

Family is what springs to mind when observing how adults and pupils are together. Caring relationships lie at the heart of Valley Road. Leaders make sure that pupils' individual personalities are brought to the fore. Pupils are eloquent and zestful. They eagerly welcome visitors and can talk at length about how they enjoy learning. Outside, pupils play imaginatively and happily. Leaders deliberately do not overload them with too many things on offer. Instead, they teach pupils how to socialise, play team games and admire the natural world of the school's location. Pupils' behaviour is impeccable. There is a strong ethos through which every child knows they must behave. If they struggle, the other pupils act as role models. Leaders make sure that pupils are safe. Bullying, for instance, does not happen. Pupils live in a town rich in culture. Leaders exploit opportunities to immerse them in extraordinary experiences. For example, pupils engage in the famous youth and literacy festivals. Pupils are keen sportspeople, with a strong competitive spirit. The school's own house events ignite everyone's interests. Furthermore, every child leaves the school able to swim. Although pupils generally achieve highly across the curriculum, teachers could expect even more.

What the school should improve

  • Some tasks that teachers set for pupils are not well designed to secure knowledge. These are neither ambitious nor demanding enough. This hinders pupils' work across the curriculum being of a consistently high quality. Leaders need to support teachers' pedagogical content knowledge to fully meet the aims of the school's curriculum.

Exam results

SATs results (key stage 2), 2024/25

31 pupils took the tests

Expected standard in reading, writing and maths94%

94%, 32 percentage points above the England average of 62%.

Higher standard in reading, writing and maths23%

23%, 15 percentage points above the England average of 8%.

Reading, average scaled score112

112, 6 above the England average of 106.

Maths, average scaled score111

111, 6 above the England average of 105.

Grammar, punctuation and spelling, average scaled score109

109, 4 above the England average of 105.

Pupil numbers and mix

165 pupils on roll, with places for 210

Eligible for free school meals4.2%

4.2%, 22.3 percentage points below the England average of 26.5%.

English as an additional language9.7%

9.7%, 11.9 percentage points below the England average of 21.6%.

Special educational needs support13.9%

13.9%, 0.9 percentage points below the England average of 14.8%.

Education, health and care plan0.6%

0.6%, 5.4 percentage points below the England average of 6%.

Schools near Valley Road School

SchoolDistanceOfstedResults
Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Henley-on-Thames0.5 milesReport card: Expected standard56% met the expected standard
Trinity Church of England Primary School0.7 milesOfsted: Good64% met the expected standard
St Mary's Preparatory0.7 milesNo Ofsted inspectionNot published
Badgemore Primary School0.8 milesOfsted: Good75% met the expected standard
Rupert House School1 mileNo Ofsted inspectionNot published

School details

School type
Community school
Sector
Local authority maintained
Age range
4 to 11
Gender
Mixed
Nursery classes
No
Headteacher
Mr Tim Coulson
Address
Valley Road, Valley Road School, Henley-on-Thames, RG9 1RR
Local authority
Oxfordshire
URN
123041

School details from Get Information about Schools, 17 September 2026. Ofsted outcomes published to 31 August 2026. Exam results for 2024/25 from the Department for Education. Pupil mix from the school census, 2025/26.