Priestley Primary School, Calne
Priestley Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Calne. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in July 2024. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 9th-highest of the 9 schools in Calne with published results, and 14,101st of 14,452 across England. It was 87% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2024)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Wiltshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Priestley Primary School in detail
Priestley Primary School in its own words
In its own words: "We are really proud to be Priestley Primary School and part of our school team. We talk about being part of a team often, please read through our Vision, Mission and Core Value to find out more about us. 'Raising Aspiration, Realising Ambition, Stimulating Curiosity'. Confident to explore an unknown future."
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 61% of Year 6 pupils at Priestley Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 33% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 73% in Wiltshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 52% in reading and 31% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Priestley Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 35 families put Priestley Primary School as their first choice and 59 named it as one of their preferences, for 35 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Priestley Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Priestley Primary School are Holy Trinity Church of England Academy (0.5 miles, Good, 77% reading, 67% maths); Marden Vale CofE Academy (0.6 miles, Requires improvement, 52% reading, 72% maths); Saint Edmund's Roman Catholic Primary School (0.7 miles, Requires improvement, 57% reading, 43% maths); and Fynamore Primary School (1.1 miles, Good, 77% reading, 68% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Priestley Primary School.
Holy Trinity Church of England AcademyMarden Vale CofE AcademySaint Edmund's Roman Catholic Primary SchoolFynamore Primary School
Who goes there
34.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 6.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Priestley Primary School.
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Woodroffe Square (s-bound), 80 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 112 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Wiltshire (34), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Priestley Primary School issued 7 suspensions, 2.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; 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 · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils are happy and safe. They know the school's 'spikey' values well, such as sharing great ideas and taking responsibility. Most pupils are determined to live up to these values. Many older pupils, for example, have leadership roles. They contribute to school life by helping to organise events, like the recent 'Priestley 250'. Younger pupils help in the classroom by tidying up at the end of a lesson.
Pupils have positive attitudes to their learning. Most live up to the school's expectations of their behaviour in classrooms and around the school. However, a minority of pupils do not follow classroom routines well enough. For example, they sometimes do not listen to adults when they have been asked to. This means they do not follow instructions or take note of the information presented to them. This hinders their learning.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
Pupils follow a broad and ambitious curriculum. The school has planned carefully what pupils should learn and when, starting in the Reception Year and building to Year 6. For example, children start learning about the human body in the Reception Year. They use this knowledge later in science when they consider the functions of different parts of the body, such as muscles and the skeleton.
In most subjects, pupils build their knowledge and understanding over time. In mathematics, for instance, they use number facts gained in the Reception Year to help them solve mathematical problems. However, in some subjects, pupils do not recall their learning or deepen that understanding sufficiently. As a result, they do not build knowledge cumulatively or make connections between what they have learned.
From Ofsted's July 2024 inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its July 2024 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
34.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 52% to 61% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 33% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 79% to 67% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
28.2
Avg class size
30.0
Infant (KS1)
28.0
KS2
10
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Priestley Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Priestley Primary School.
- The Big Adventure Club Ltd Priestley SchoolAt the school · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Priestley Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Priestley Primary School is in Wiltshire; for families living there:
Apply to Wiltshire for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 5
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 4 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 on a bicycle.
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
Your chances of a place at Priestley Primary School
Will you get a place at Priestley Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Priestley Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Priestley Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Priestley Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Wiltshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Priestley Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Wiltshire 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
87%
Available places
274 pupils
315 places
41 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Calne
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Calne
Across Wiltshire council
Places available
6,156
Applications
4,455
Got 1st preference
95.6%
Got preferred school
99.1%
All primary applications across Wiltshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
52
SEN Support
11
EHC Plans
22.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
282
Total Pupils
149
Boys
133
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
16
Teachers
17.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,436
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,501
Per pupil
£1755k
Total funding
£132k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.9%
Overall absence
10.1%
Persistent absence
257
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
Priestley Primary School
Questions parents ask about Priestley Primary School
What are SATs results like at Priestley Primary School?
Of the pupils at Priestley Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 61% reached the expected standard in reading and 33% did so in maths.
What is Priestley Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Priestley Primary School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in July 2024.
What is the catchment area for Priestley Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Priestley Primary School is oversubscribed, Wiltshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Priestley Primary School?
Priestley Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 87% of its 315 places.
How big are the classes at Priestley Primary School?
Classes at Priestley Primary School average 28.2 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Priestley Primary School?
Priestley Primary School has around 282 pupils on roll. 35% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Priestley Primary School?
4.9% of sessions were missed at Priestley Primary School in 2024/25. 10.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Priestley Primary School?
Apply through Wiltshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Priestley 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 Priestley Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: The Big Adventure Club Ltd Priestley School (registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Priestley Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 4 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 on a bicycle. 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 Priestley Primary School?
Priestley Primary School is at Prince Charles Drive, Calne, Wiltshire, SN11 8TG.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)