Compass Community School Athelstan Park, Westbury
Compass Community School Athelstan Park is a special school for pupils aged 8 to 17 in Westbury. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2025.
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2025)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Compass Community School Athelstan Park in detail
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Compass Community School Athelstan Park are Fairfield Farm College (Fairfield Farm Trust) (1.1 miles, Good); On Track Education Centre Westbury (1.7 miles, Inadequate); and The Eaves Learning Centre (2.3 miles, Good).
Fairfield Farm College (Fairfield Farm Trust)On Track Education Centre WestburyThe Eaves Learning Centre
Who goes there
Almost every pupil at Compass Community School Athelstan Park has an education, health and care plan (17 of 17 in 2026).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Westbury (Wilts) Rail Station, about 1 mile away in a straight line.
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Chalford House Hotel (s-bound), 40 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 79 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Wiltshire (34), as is usual near a town centre.
Sources: 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 February 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
The school creates a calm, orderly environment where pupils feel safe and enjoy working together. Staff work collaboratively with therapy teams to support pupils' emotional wellbeing, and the school provides excellent enrichment experiences including cooking, volunteering in the community, and a well-structured careers programme. Parents appreciate the school's collaborative approach and the strong support offered to help pupils develop positive attitudes to learning and attendance.
Key Strengths
- Strong personal development provision with pupils engaging in cooking, enrichment activities and taking on responsibilities like school council roles
- Effective therapeutic support for pupils' social, emotional and mental health needs, resulting in fewer behaviour incidents and a calm school environment
- Well-established careers curriculum with work experience and independent careers advisor meetings to prepare pupils for further education and employment
- Strong preparation for life in modern Britain, including teaching about British values and healthy relationships
- Good relationships between staff and pupils with positive working relationships and well-understood behaviour expectations
Areas for Improvement
- Teachers lack secure knowledge of curriculum content and expectations, so learning activities are not always well matched to intended outcomes
- Gaps in pupils' subject knowledge and prior learning are not accurately identified, meaning pupils are moved on before securing their knowledge
- Individual learning plans have targets that are too broad and imprecise, making it difficult for teachers to plan effective future learning
- Phonics gaps are identified but not routinely used to secure knowledge before teaching new letters and sounds
- Proprietor's checks on policy implementation lack rigour, resulting in incomplete records that do not support staff in helping pupils effectively
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
Extracurricular Activities
Cooking activities, school council, work experience, visits to the community, volunteering at local residential care homes, student council meetings
Compass Community School Athelstan Park is a special school for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs. The school requires improvement overall, though behaviour, attitudes and personal development are good.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with Compass Community School Athelstan Park
Getting There
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 8
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 7 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 Wiltshire is 4 (the median across 265 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
94%
Near capacity
17 pupils
18 places
1 spare place
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Westbury
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Westbury
Across Wiltshire council
Places available
6,150
Applications
4,934
Got 1st preference
93.9%
Got preferred school
98.3%
All secondary applications across Wiltshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
17
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Compass Community School Athelstan Park is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
No need-level breakdown available
Pupil Demographics
Key Indicators
17
Total Pupils
15
Boys
2
Girls
2026 academic year
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Questions parents ask about Compass Community School Athelstan Park
What is Compass Community School Athelstan Park's Ofsted rating?
Compass Community School Athelstan Park was rated Requires Improvement at its most recent Ofsted inspection in February 2025.
Does Compass Community School Athelstan Park meet the independent school standards?
At its most recent standard inspection, in February 2025, Compass Community School Athelstan Park met all the independent school standards.
How many pupils go to Compass Community School Athelstan Park?
Compass Community School Athelstan Park has around 17 pupils on roll.
Does Compass Community School Athelstan Park have specialist SEN provision?
Compass Community School Athelstan Park is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
How do I apply to Compass Community School Athelstan Park?
Compass Community School Athelstan Park 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 Compass Community School Athelstan Park?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 7 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 Wiltshire is 4 (the median across 265 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Compass Community School Athelstan Park?
Compass Community School Athelstan Park is at 114 Warminster Road, Westbury, Westbury, BA13 3BR.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)