William Gilpin Church of England Primary School

William Gilpin Church of England Primary School is currently under significant scrutiny as it has been identified as requiring special measures due to its failure to provide an acceptable standard of education. The interim leadership has been active in addressing issues such as attendance and behavior, resulting in some improvements; however, the overall quality of education remains inadequate. The school has faced multiple leadership changes and a high turnover of staff, which has hindered the consistency and effectiveness of teaching and learning. Although safeguarding standards are met, the school's performance in terms of curriculum delivery and student achievement is notably lacking, particularly for disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Strengths noted in the report include a positive school culture regarding safeguarding and a commitment to improve attendance, which has seen some success. However, concerns remain regarding teaching consistency, student engagement, and the coherence of the curriculum. Without substantial and immediate improvements, particularly in leadership, teaching quality, and curriculum structure, the school faces serious challenges in providing a supportive and effective learning environment for its pupils.

Strengths

• Strong safeguarding culture with staff awareness and responsibilities.
• Marked improvement in attendance and punctuality since leadership changes.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent teaching quality across subjects.
• Significant gaps in learning due to a disjointed curriculum.
• Students, especially disadvantaged and those with SEND, are underachieving.
• Lack of effective leadership capacity to drive necessary improvements.
• Inadequate personal development and wellbeing provisions for students.

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 William Gilpin Church of England Primary School attended 90.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 21.1% 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, 2.6% of pupils at William Gilpin Church of England 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 William Gilpin Church of England Primary School had 13.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 46.9% 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, 10.8% of pupils at William Gilpin Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 14.9% 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 William Gilpin Church of England Primary School received £11,349 and spent £11,679 for each of its 74 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £11,000 (£142 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 Lymington · Hampshire local authority: places and applications

What is William Gilpin Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for William Gilpin Church of England Primary School is Urgent improvement, from an inspection in May 2026.

When was William Gilpin Church of England Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

William Gilpin Church of England Primary School was last inspected in May 2026.

How many pupils does William Gilpin Church of England Primary School have?

William Gilpin Church of England Primary School has 74 pupils on roll.

What age range does William Gilpin Church of England Primary School cover?

William Gilpin Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are William Gilpin Church of England Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 58% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is William Gilpin Church of England Primary School?

William Gilpin Church of England Primary School is at Pilley Hill, Boldre, Lymington, Hampshire, SO41 5QG.