St Paul's Primary School

St Paul’s Primary School is performing well overall, with all key judgements graded good. The school has a strong sense of belonging and high expectations, and most pupils are engaged, achieve well and benefit from positive relationships and calm, focused behaviour. Reading and language are central to a well-designed curriculum, phonics is taught strongly from Reception, and the recently reviewed mathematics curriculum supports pupils to build fluency and solve problems. Pupils with SEND are well supported, including through the school’s specialist resource base, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. Personal development is a notable strength. Pupils learn about safety, relationships and healthy living from the Reception Year, take on leadership roles and contribute to the wider community. Governors understand the school well and provide effective support and challenge, while staff value the professional development and workload-reduction work of leaders. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and published outcomes do not reflect how well current pupils are prepared for the next stage. The main area for improvement is that, in some subjects and on some occasions, activities do not help pupils secure the intended knowledge or deepen their understanding of concepts. As a result, pupils do not build their knowledge as well as they could over time.

Strengths

• A well-designed curriculum sets out clear knowledge, skills and vocabulary across year groups.
• Reading and language are central to the curriculum, supported by high-quality texts.
• Phonics is taught strongly from Reception, with checks and extra practice for pupils at risk of falling behind.
• The recently reviewed mathematics curriculum helps pupils build fluency, accuracy and problem-solving skills.
• Pupils with SEND are accurately understood and well supported, including by an expert resource base team.
• Pupils with SEND know and remember more because learning is tailored to their individual needs.
• Staff and pupils have positive relationships, and most pupils are calm, focused and engaged.
• Pupils understand the ‘ready, respectful, safe’ rules and receive the right support when behaviour falls short.
• Personal development is broad, including PSHE from Reception, healthy living, sports and valuing difference.
• Pupils take pride in leadership roles and contribute to the community, including through choir and school council.
• Happy and active playtimes help pupils across year groups play well together and learn to take turns.
• Governors have an accurate understanding of the school and provide effective support and challenge.
• Staff value the professional development and workload-reduction support they receive.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• In some subjects and on some occasions, activities do not help pupils secure the intended knowledge or deepen their understanding of concepts.
• Because some activities lack depth, pupils do not build their curriculum knowledge as well as they could over time.

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 St Paul's Primary School attended 93.8% 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, 3.8% of pupils at St Paul's 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 St Paul's Primary School had 14.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.8% 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, 14.9% of pupils at St Paul's Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 14.3% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has resourced provision with 3 pupils.

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 St Paul's Primary School received £9,102 and spent £8,628 for each of its 175 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £147,000 (£840 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 Chippenham · Wiltshire local authority: places and applications

What is St Paul's Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Paul's Primary School is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was St Paul's Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

St Paul's Primary School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does St Paul's Primary School have?

St Paul's Primary School has 175 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Paul's Primary School cover?

St Paul's Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are St Paul's Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 38% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Paul's Primary School?

St Paul's Primary School is at The Oaks, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN15 1DU.