Crudwell CofE Primary School

Crudwell CofE Primary School is a small, welcoming church school where pupils feel safe, known and included. This full inspection took place after a period of significant change, including the appointment of the current headteacher in September 2025 and a period of instability in the school community. Safeguarding standards are met, and the school is performing at the expected standard across achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, early years, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing. The school's strengths include a positive reading and phonics culture, an ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum, effective support for pupils with SEND, strong early years provision, and a coherent personal development programme. Pupils behave well, attendance has improved, and staff have established warm, respectful relationships. Leaders are reflective, have redesigned the curriculum since the previous inspection, and have created a culture that promotes inclusion, safeguarding and staff wellbeing. The main areas for further work are sharper oversight and evaluation of improvement work, stronger communication with parents and carers so recent improvements are understood, and addressing the weaker mathematics outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. Overall, the school has a clear direction and is well placed to continue improving.

Strengths

• Reading is a positive feature of the school, with secure early reading and well-taught phonics.
• Pupils with SEND typically achieve well from their starting points and learn alongside their peers.
• The curriculum is ambitious, well designed and sequenced so pupils build knowledge over time.
• Attendance is a high priority, and leaders have secured improvements for pupils needing additional support.
• Behaviour expectations are clear and applied consistently, creating a calm and orderly environment.
• Early years provision is strong, with careful assessment of starting points and a focus on communication, language, early reading and mathematics.
• Inclusion is a clear strength, with pupils' needs identified quickly and support put in place effectively.
• Personal development is coherent and broad, with pupils taking on responsibilities and contributing to school life.
• Leaders and governors understand the school's strengths and priorities and have taken considered action since the previous inspection.
• Staff feel valued and supported, and professional development has strengthened expertise in behaviour management and inclusive practice.
• Safeguarding standards are met, and pupils report feeling safe and confident that staff will help them.

Areas for Improvement

• Leaders' oversight, analysis and evaluation occasionally lack the detail needed to show what has been achieved, why, and what should happen next.
• Communication with parents and carers should be strengthened so recent improvements are understood and confidence continues to grow.
• Disadvantaged pupils' mathematics attainment is below national averages, with a substantial disadvantaged gap in mathematics.

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 Crudwell CofE Primary School attended 95.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 6.7% 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, 1.5% of pupils at Crudwell CofE 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 Crudwell CofE Primary School had 21.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 15.2% 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, 12.1% of pupils at Crudwell CofE Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.8% 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 Crudwell CofE Primary School received £6,956 and spent £7,198 for each of its 132 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £12,000 (£94 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 Malmesbury · Wiltshire local authority: places and applications

What is Crudwell CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Crudwell CofE Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was Crudwell CofE Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Crudwell CofE Primary School was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does Crudwell CofE Primary School have?

Crudwell CofE Primary School has 132 pupils on roll.

What age range does Crudwell CofE Primary School cover?

Crudwell CofE Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 68% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Crudwell CofE Primary School?

Crudwell CofE Primary School is at Crudwell, Malmesbury, Wiltshire, SN16 9ER.