William Gilpin Church of England Primary School, Lymington

Ofsted's report card from its 10 March 2026 inspection grades William Gilpin Church of England Primary School on 7 areas: 2 needs attention and 5 urgent improvement. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Attendance and behaviour - Needs attention. "In the past, messages about the importance of being in school on time and every day have not been clear enough."

Early years - Needs attention. "Leaders have made sensible use of external support to develop the early years provision this term."

Achievement - Urgent improvement. "Pupils are not learning as well as they should."

Curriculum and teaching - Urgent improvement. "The curriculum in most subjects is disjointed."

Inclusion - Urgent improvement. "The school is aware of the challenges some pupils face, but their needs are not met effectively."

Leadership and governance - Urgent improvement. "Capacity to bring about the many improvements needed is poor."

Personal development and wellbeing - Urgent improvement. "Too much is left to chance when it comes to fostering pupils' personal development."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Those responsible for governance must urgently build leadership capacity within or by looking beyond the school so that the weaknesses in pupils' education and wellbeing are remedied swiftly and improvements are embedded"; "Those responsible for governance must build their collective knowledge and expertise so that they are able to meet their statutory duties and are better equipped to hold leaders to account for the quality of the school's work"; "Leaders should ensure that pupils' needs are identified precisely and in a timely manner and that staff are suitably skilled to shape and adapt learning activities to meet the needs of pupils in their class"; "Leaders should ensure that a there is a well-sequenced curriculum in all subjects and that staff have the expertise to teach it effectively so that pupils' achievement improves"; "Leaders should ensure that there is a coherent and ambitious programme of personal development which all pupils benefit from so that they are well prepared for their future lives"; "Leaders should work with parents and carers to sustain and build on recent improvements in attendance and punctuality so that pupils are in school regularly and on time and do not miss out on learning without good reason"; "Leaders should ensure that staff have consistently high expectations of pupils' behaviour in class and that they use rewards and consequences appropriately so that pupils' attitudes to their learning improve"; "Leaders should ensure that the new early years curriculum is embedded so that children have the best start possible to their education".

From the headteacher's welcome: ""To teach feels like you are the guardian of time itself, protecting the future happiness of the world via the minds that are yet to shape it." Positive relationships are essential for any school to thrive."

In 2025, 75% of Year 6 pupils at William Gilpin Church of England Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 75% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 75% in Hampshire and 77% and 75% across England.

Results rose from 70% in reading and 61% in maths in 2024.

With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.

For September 2026 entry, 1 family put William Gilpin Church of England Primary School as their first choice and 7 named it as one of their preferences, for 1 place offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state primary schools to William Gilpin Church of England Primary School are Lymington Junior School (1.5 miles, Good, 84% reading, 89% maths); Lymington Church of England Infant School (1.5 miles, Outstanding); South Baddesley Church of England Primary School & Nursery (1.9 miles, Good, 78% reading, 100% maths); and Pennington Church of England Primary School (2.1 miles, Good, 48% reading, 68% maths).

William Gilpin Church of England Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 3 schools.

39 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about William Gilpin Church of England Primary School (as of April 2026): 80% would recommend the school, 90% say their child is happy there and 33% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child is happy at the school (90%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (33%).

16.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 5.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (91%) and Black (5%).

In 2026, 8 pupils (10.8%) received SEN support and 11 (14.9%) 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.

William Gilpin Church of England Primary School had 7 teachers in 2026, one for every 11 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.

The nearest railway station is Lymington Town Rail Station, about 1.5 miles away in a straight line.

6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is William Gilpin School (e-bound), 60 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 7 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, public order offences and violence and sexual offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Hampshire (72).

In 2024/25, William Gilpin Church of England Primary School issued 2 suspensions, 2.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.