Sherston CofE Primary School, Malmesbury

Primary
Voluntary controlled school
Mixed
Church of England
Ages 411

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mr Tommy Towers
Pupils:127 / 210 capacity
LA:Wiltshire
Phone:01666840237
Address:Knockdown Road, Sherston, Malmesbury, SN16 0NJ
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 7 months ago

Report card - no overall grade (new Ofsted framework from Sep 2024)

Achievement
Expected Standard
Behaviour
Strong Standard
Personal Development
Expected Standard
Leadership
Expected Standard
Early Years
Expected Standard
Inspected 3 February 2026View full report
URN:126356
UKPRN:10075429
Diocese:Diocese of Bristol
Constituency:South Cotswolds
Urban/Rural:Larger rural: Further from a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

Sherston is a warm, welcoming school where your child will feel safe, happy and cared for. Attendance rates are well above average, showing how much families value the school's inclusive, family-friendly approach. Behaviour across the school is excellent, with older pupils acting as positive role models.

Key Strengths

  • Attendance is significantly above national figures with strong relationships between school and families
  • Behaviour and discipline are excellent - the school is calm, orderly and respectful
  • Pupils achieve well in phonics and end of Key Stage 2 tests in reading and mathematics
  • Strong personal development programme supporting social, emotional and moral wellbeing
  • Inclusive approach with effective support for pupils with special educational needs and disadvantaged pupils

Areas for Improvement

  • Writing skills not developing well enough - errors in spelling, sentence structure and letter formation are not consistently corrected
  • Quality of teaching is too variable across the school
  • Early years curriculum does not build children's knowledge sequentially, particularly in writing foundations
  • Leaders and governors do not have a clear enough understanding of weaknesses in writing
  • Books chosen for reading do not always match the sounds pupils have learned

Safeguarding

Safeguarding standards are met - leaders have established an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and pupils are made safer and feel safe.

Extracurricular Activities

Drama club, Rock Steady music, French club, ukulele lessons, piano lessons

Sherston CofE Primary School is an inclusive, caring school with excellent attendance and behaviour, where pupils feel safe and happy. However, there are concerns about the quality of writing instruction and variability in teaching across the school.

At a Glance

6.3%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
ReadingMathsWriting-13pp

Reading has remained stable at around 95%. Maths has remained stable at around 100%. Writing has declined from 86% to 73%.

Class Sizes

23.5

Avg class size

22.0

Infant (KS1)

4

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Bus Stops

North End Gardens (N-bound)
248m · 4 min walk
Post Office (N-bound)
332m · 5 min walk
Angel House (N-bound)
336m · 5 min walk
Rattlebone Inn (N-bound)
369m · 6 min walk
Tubbs (NE-bound)
426m · 7 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

60%

Available places

127 pupils

210 capacity

83 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Malmesbury

Low pressure
New homes approved:283
Projected new pupils:71

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Malmesbury

Admissions Demand - Wiltshire

Low demand0.70x oversubscription

Places available

6,311

Applications

4,449

Got 1st preference

95.2%

Got preferred school

99.0%

Primary admissions across Wiltshire (2025/26)

Inspection History(7)

3 February 2026Report card
Achievement
Behaviour
Personal Development
Leadership
Early Years
24 June 2021
23 February 2016

House Prices

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SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

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Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

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Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

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School Funding

Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

3.45042%

Overall absence

6.86275%

Persistent absence

102

Enrolments

Authorised2.91356%
Unauthorised0.53685%
Persistent (10%+)6.86275%
Severe (50%+)0%

Absence trend

3.32137%
18/19
2.59098%
20/21
6.864%
21/22
6.31838%
22/23
4.35355%
23/24
3.45042%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

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