Amberley Parochial School is graded strong in all seven areas of its Ofsted report card. 87% of Year 6 met the expected standard, against 62% nationally.
Amberley Parochial School, the village primary above Nailsworth, has been graded strong standard in all seven areas of its new Ofsted report card. Ofsted also found that the school meets the safeguarding standards.
Inspectors visited on 7 July 2026. Ofsted published the report on 23 September.
It is the school’s first full inspection since it became an academy in 2023, and its first under the report card system, which replaced the single headline grade. Each area is now graded on a five-point scale: exceptional, strong standard, expected standard, needs attention and urgent improvement. Ofsted defines strong standard as a school where “leaders are working above the standard expected of them”.
The seven grades
Amberley was graded strong standard for:
- achievement
- attendance and behaviour
- curriculum and teaching
- early years
- inclusion
- leadership and governance
- personal development and wellbeing
None of the seven was graded exceptional. None fell below strong.
What the inspectors found
The report says “pupils excel in their learning”. It notes that results in the Year 1 phonics check and the Year 4 multiplication tables check exceed national averages. By the end of Year 6, pupils “consistently achieve better than other pupils nationally in statutory assessments”.
The figures in the report bear that out. In 2024/25, 87% of Year 6 pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined. The national average was 62%.
| Year 6, 2024/25 | Amberley | England |
|---|---|---|
| Reading, writing and maths combined | 87% | 62% |
| Reading | 87% | 75% |
| Writing, teacher assessed | 87% | 72% |
| Maths | 93% | 74% |
Attendance is just as far ahead. Overall absence in 2024/25 was 2.9%, against 5.2% nationally. Only 3.3% of pupils were persistently absent, meaning they missed at least one session in ten. The national figure was 13.0%.
The inspectors also recorded some of the village’s own life in the school. Pupils in Years 3 and 4 link the local mills to their work on Victorian Britain. Children visit a local care home to read, sing and talk with residents. Year 6 pupils volunteer in the local cafĂ© and shop. Lessons even cover “local environmental risks, such as ticks from the nearby common”.
Pupils told the inspectors that Amberley is a “small but mighty” school. Parents, the report says, “would recommend the school without reservation”.
Ofsted set one next step. Leaders and the trust should keep prioritising “evidence-informed, high standards of teaching” so that it has a “transformational impact on achievement for all pupils”.
A small school, and nearly full
Amberley had 102 pupils at the time of the inspection, against a capacity of 105. The average primary in England has 272. It takes children aged four to eleven.
The school is a Church of England academy in the Diocese of Gloucester Academies Trust, which also runs Coaley and Dursley primaries in the district. Its headteacher is Alison Flight.
The report’s own context figures show a school in one of the less deprived parts of the district. Just 3.92% of pupils have been eligible for free school meals in the last six years, against 26.3% nationally. Ofsted suppressed the results for disadvantaged pupils, which it does when a group is too small to report.
What it means for you
- If you are choosing a primary for September 2027, the full report card is on Ofsted’s site, with every grade explained. Reception applications go through Gloucestershire County Council, not the school.
- With 102 pupils and 105 places, there is very little spare room. Check the county’s admissions data for how places were allocated last year before you rely on a place.
- If you are comparing schools, remember that report cards cannot be set side by side with an old single grade such as “good” or “outstanding”. They measure different things.
For other Stroud district schools, see our reports on Stroud High School’s GCSE results and the Stroud school term dates.
Sources
- Amberley Parochial School, Ofsted, URN 149830, for the school’s details and the publication date.
- Ofsted report card for Amberley Parochial School, inspection of 7 July 2026, published 23 September 2026, for every grade, quotation, result, absence figure and context figure in this article.
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