St Mary's Church of England Primary School & Nursery, Purton

St Mary’s Church of England Primary School in Purton continues to be a good school, demonstrating a commitment to high standards and pupil well-being. The school fosters a welcoming environment where pupils feel safe and valued, encouraging them to engage in both academic learning and personal development activities. The curriculum is ambitious and well-planned, with pupils showing enthusiasm for their learning, particularly in reading and the arts. However, there are areas that require improvement, particularly in the consistency of assessment practices across subjects to ensure that misconceptions are promptly identified and addressed.

Strengths

• Pupils demonstrate pride and enthusiasm for their learning.
• Strong relationships exist between staff and pupils.
• A well-structured and ambitious curriculum is in place.
• High expectations from staff help pupils excel.
• Effective initiatives promote a love for reading among pupils.
• A diverse range of extracurricular activities supports pupil interests.
• The school promotes strong values around equality and diversity.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent use of assessment across some subjects hinders the identification of misconceptions.

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 Mary's Church of England Primary School & Nursery, Purton attended 95.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.9% 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 St Mary's Church of England Primary School & Nursery, Purton 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 Mary's Church of England Primary School & Nursery, Purton had 22.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 20.7% 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, 14.2% of pupils at St Mary's Church of England Primary School & Nursery, Purton were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.4% 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 St Mary's Church of England Primary School & Nursery, Purton received £7,169 and spent £7,266 for each of its 318 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £133,000 (£419 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 Swindon · Wiltshire local authority: places and applications

What is St Mary's Church of England Primary School & Nursery, Purton's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Mary's Church of England Primary School & Nursery, Purton is Good, from an inspection in June 2023.

When was St Mary's Church of England Primary School & Nursery, Purton last inspected by Ofsted?

St Mary's Church of England Primary School & Nursery, Purton was last inspected in June 2023.

How many pupils does St Mary's Church of England Primary School & Nursery, Purton have?

St Mary's Church of England Primary School & Nursery, Purton has 318 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Mary's Church of England Primary School & Nursery, Purton cover?

St Mary's Church of England Primary School & Nursery, Purton for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are St Mary's Church of England Primary School & Nursery, Purton's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 62% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Mary's Church of England Primary School & Nursery, Purton?

St Mary's Church of England Primary School & Nursery, Purton is at College Road, Purton, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN5 4AR.