Vallis First School, Frome

From the headteacher's welcome: "Vallis First School is well-placed to be ‘the heart of Frome’. Our historic building perches at the top of the hill on Milk Street and we have fabulous views across the town from our lofty upstairs classrooms. Our school is a family, surrounded by the warm embrace of our vibrant local community."

The school runs after-school care until 4:10pm.

For September 2026 entry, 30 families put Vallis First School as their first choice and 105 named it as one of their preferences, for 41 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state primary schools to Vallis First School are St Louis Catholic Primary School, Frome (under 0.1 miles, 69% reading, 66% maths); Avanti Park School (0.3 miles, Good, 77% reading, 62% maths); St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided First School, Frome (0.4 miles, Requires improvement); and Trinity Church of England First School (0.7 miles).

70 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Vallis First School (as of September 2025): 90% would recommend the school, 99% say their child is happy there and 65% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (99%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (65%).

4.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 38 pupils (20.5%) received SEN support and 4 (2.2%) 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 speech, language and communication needs.

Vallis First School had 8 teachers in 2026, one for every 27 pupils: fewer teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.

The nearest railway station is Frome Rail Station, about 0.8 miles away in a straight line.

17 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Selwood Road Shops (sw-bound), 80 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Vallis First School stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 180 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 Somerset (22), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Vallis First School issued 16 suspensions, 7.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The secondary schools closest to Vallis First School are Oakfield Academy (0.6 miles), Selwood Academy (0.8 miles) and Frome Community College (0.9 miles).