Symondsbury Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

Symondsbury Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is performing well overall. Inspectors found strong provision across the school, with pupils achieving well in an ambitious and broad curriculum, exceptionally positive behaviour, and outstanding personal development. The school’s culture encourages pupils to take responsibility and to act as a community, and pupils benefit from exceptional wider experiences that broaden their horizons and shape their world views. Attendance is high, reading is valued, and pupils with SEND are identified effectively and supported well. Leadership is strategic, governance is effective, and staff workload is managed thoughtfully. The main area for improvement is writing. The school’s approach to teaching writing has been recently introduced, and opportunities for pupils to practise and rehearse writing across the wider curriculum are less developed. As a result, pupils do not progress in writing as effectively as they could. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a voluntary aided Church of England primary school, and under the current inspection framework the school did not receive an overall effectiveness grade.

Strengths

• Ambitious and broad curriculum with clear sequencing and strong links between learning
• Pupils achieve well and engage thoughtfully and curiously in lessons
• Behaviour and attitudes are exceptional
• Personal development is strongly embedded throughout the school’s culture
• Pupils benefit from exceptional wider experiences, trips and clubs
• Pupils take responsibility and contribute actively to the school community and beyond
• Attendance is high for all groups of pupils
• Pupils with SEND are identified effectively and supported with bespoke provision
• Reading is highly valued, with strong early reading support and enrichment
• Leadership is strategic, and governors provide effective challenge and support
• Staff appreciate the school’s approach to managing workload
• Parents praise the school’s wider experiences and curriculum enhancement

Areas for Improvement

• The writing curriculum is newly implemented, and opportunities for pupils to practise and rehearse writing across the wider curriculum are not yet well developed

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Symondsbury Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School attended 96.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 3.1% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.0% of pupils at Symondsbury Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Symondsbury Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School had 17.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 19.6% of pupils at Symondsbury Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.9% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Symondsbury Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School received £7,339 and spent £7,280 for each of its 107 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £57,000 (£535 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Bridport · Dorset local authority: places and applications

What is Symondsbury Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Symondsbury Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is Good, from an inspection in June 2025.

When was Symondsbury Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Symondsbury Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does Symondsbury Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School have?

Symondsbury Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School has 107 pupils on roll.

What age range does Symondsbury Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School cover?

Symondsbury Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Symondsbury Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 67% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Symondsbury Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?

Symondsbury Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is at Symondsbury, Bridport, Dorset, DT6 6HD.