The Priors School, Southam
The Priors School is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Southam, part of The Warriner Multi Academy Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in April 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in December 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 3rd-highest of the 9 schools in Southam with published results, and 4,824th of 14,452 across England. It was 98% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2015)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Warwickshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
The Priors School in detail
The Priors School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "On behalf of the children, staff and governors, I would like to welcome you to The Priors School and Preschool. It is designed to give you a flavour of the vibrant life of our school, the work of our pupils and the quality education we strive to deliver. Being the Head Teacher of The Priors School gives me great pleasure."
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:30am and after-school care.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 82% of Year 6 pupils at The Priors School reached the expected standard in reading and 82% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 74% in Warwickshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 100% in reading and 75% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at The Priors School
For September 2026 entry, 13 families put The Priors School as their first choice and 23 named it as one of their preferences, for 13 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to The Priors School are St Lawrence CofE (Voluntary Aided) Primary School (2.6 miles, Good, 65% reading, 68% maths); Boddington Church of England Primary Academy (2.7 miles, Good); Byfield School (3.2 miles, Good, 78% reading, 67% maths); and Staverton Church of England Voluntary Primary School (4 miles, Good, 80% reading, 80% maths).
The Priors School's 2025 results were higher than all 3 of them.
St Lawrence CofE (Voluntary Aided) Primary SchoolBoddington Church of England Primary AcademyByfield SchoolStaverton Church of England Voluntary Primary School
The trust
The Priors School is one of 10 schools run by The Warriner Multi Academy Trust, an academy trust.
What parents say
36 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about The Priors School (as of September 2025): 92% would recommend the school, 97% say their child is happy there and 83% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (97%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (83%).
Who goes there
6.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 2.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 11 pupils (10.8%) received SEN support and 4 (3.9%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is social, emotional and mental health needs.
Staffing
The Priors School had 8 teachers in 2026, one for every 10 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of The Priors School.
2 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Hardwick Road (jcn), 390 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 1 crime within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Warwickshire (88).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, The Priors School issued 1 suspension, 1 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; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; 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 agoThis judgement is from April 2015, 11 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's December 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
The Priors School excels at teaching reading through skilled staff and engaging activities like author visits and reading challenges. Pupils arrive happy and eager to learn in a well-behaved, supportive community. The school provides an ambitious curriculum covering academics and important life skills like online safety and understanding different cultures, preparing children well for life in modern Britain.
Key Strengths
- Excellent teaching of reading with highly skilled staff - pupils develop strong reading fluency and accuracy
- Ambitious, well-designed curriculum that builds learning over time with clear end points
- Strong early years provision where children get off to a great start
- Well-thought-through wider curriculum covering safety, healthy relationships, and understanding different faiths and cultures
- Positive school culture where pupils are happy, safe, and take on responsibilities
Areas for Improvement
- Some staff lack detailed knowledge to teach certain curriculum areas effectively, meaning pupils don't learn as well as they could in those subjects
- Work set for pupils is not always properly adjusted to their level - sometimes too easy or too hard, particularly for pupils with SEND
- School does not check closely enough on how well the curriculum is being delivered in some subjects, making oversight inconsistent
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with pupils knowing they have trusted adults to share worries and concerns with.
Extracurricular Activities
Author visits, one hundred books reading challenge, poetry competition, daily mile, school councillors, pupil leadership roles
The Priors School is a primary school that has maintained good standards since its previous inspection. Pupils are happy, well-behaved and eager to learn, with particularly strong achievement in reading.
At a Glance
6.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
36 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 100% to 82% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 75% to 82% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 92% to 82% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
20.4
Avg class size
20.5
Infant (KS1)
23.5
KS2
5
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with The Priors School
Term dates
The Priors School is a free school, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Warwickshire's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to The Priors School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. The Priors School is in Warwickshire; for families living there:
- Warwickshire's school travel policy: Free school transport for students under the age of 16
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 1
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 0 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 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 Warwickshire is 7 (the median across 286 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 The Priors School
Will you get a place at The Priors School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against The Priors School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for The Priors School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to The Priors School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Warwickshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at The Priors School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Warwickshire 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
98%
Near capacity
82 pupils
84 places
2 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Southam
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Southam
Across Warwickshire council
Places available
7,199
Applications
6,281
Got 1st preference
88.1%
Got preferred school
98.1%
All primary applications across Warwickshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(5)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
11
SEN Support
4
EHC Plans
14.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
102
Total Pupils
54
Boys
48
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
8
Teachers
12.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£55,171
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,853
Per pupil
£581k
Total funding
£8k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.0%
Overall absence
10.8%
Persistent absence
74
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about The Priors School
What are SATs results like at The Priors School?
Of the pupils at The Priors School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 82% reached the expected standard in reading and 82% did so in maths.
What is The Priors School's Ofsted rating?
The Priors School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in December 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in April 2015, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for The Priors School?
No fixed boundary. When The Priors School is oversubscribed, Warwickshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at The Priors School?
The Priors School was close to full in 2025, at 98% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at The Priors School?
Classes at The Priors School average 20.4 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to The Priors School?
The Priors School has around 102 pupils on roll. 7% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at The Priors School?
4% of sessions were missed at The Priors School in 2024/25. 10.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to The Priors School?
Apply through Warwickshire's coordinated admissions process, naming The Priors 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.
How many road collisions happen near The Priors School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 0 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 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 Warwickshire is 7 (the median across 286 schools, same distance and years).
Where is The Priors School?
The Priors School is at School Lane, Priors Marston, Southam, Warwickshire, CV47 7RR.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)