Horningsham Primary School

Horningsham Primary School is a small, inclusive village primary school with a strong family-like ethos. Pupils are proud to attend, behaviour is excellent, attendance is consistently high, and persistent absence is rare. The school's personal development and wellbeing provision is a particular strength: it is ambitious, well sequenced and helps pupils become tolerant, reflective and confident young citizens. Safeguarding standards are met, and parents, staff and pupils are highly positive about the school. Published outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics are typically above national averages, and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and disadvantaged pupils are well supported to make suitable progress.

Strengths

• Attendance and punctuality systems are highly effective and persistent absence is rare.
• Pupils' behaviour and conduct are excellent, with politeness, respect and empathy evident.
• The personal development and wellbeing programme is highly ambitious and well sequenced.
• High-quality pastoral support and pupil self-referral strongly support emotional wellbeing.
• Pupils take on meaningful leadership and community responsibilities, building teamwork and citizenship.
• The curriculum is ambitious and well sequenced, preparing pupils well for secondary school.
• Teaching in mathematics and reading is effective, and writing has improved over time.
• Early years provision gives children a secure start and strong progress from their starting points.
• Inclusion is effective, with accurate assessment and suitable support for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils.
• Leaders, governors and staff are committed, reflective and use external support well.
• Parents are exceptionally positive, and staff feel valued and supported with workload.
• Safeguarding standards are met through an open and positive culture of safeguarding.
• Published outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics are typically above national averages.

Areas for Improvement

• Leaders' evaluation of how effectively pupils deepen their knowledge and understanding so that more pupils excel academically is at an earlier stage.
• Teaching does not consistently enable pupils to apply their phonics knowledge well enough to spell accurately.
• Tasks are not always designed precisely enough to deepen pupils' knowledge and explore more complex subject content when they are ready.
• Assessment information is not always used astutely to design activities that build firmly on the essential knowledge pupils need to learn next.
• In the early years, activities and staff interactions do not always focus on the most essential next knowledge or deepen children's learning consistently well.

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 Horningsham Primary School attended 97.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 0.0% 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 Horningsham 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 Horningsham Primary School had 15.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 14.6% 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, 22.1% of pupils at Horningsham Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.5% 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 Horningsham Primary School received £8,991 and spent £8,847 for each of its 68 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £19,000 (£277 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 Warminster · Wiltshire local authority: places and applications

What is Horningsham Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Horningsham Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Horningsham Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Horningsham Primary School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Horningsham Primary School have?

Horningsham Primary School has 68 pupils on roll.

What age range does Horningsham Primary School cover?

Horningsham Primary School for pupils aged 5 to 11.

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

In 2025, 89% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Horningsham Primary School?

Horningsham Primary School is at Church Street, Horningsham, Warminster, Wiltshire, BA12 7LW.