Malmesbury Primary School

Malmesbury Primary School is a warm, welcoming and nurturing community primary school where pupils feel safe, behave well and enjoy learning. The school has high expectations and provides a broad, ambitious and enriched curriculum; pupils typically make good progress and achieve in line with national outcomes. Reading is a clear priority, phonics is taught consistently, and pupils with SEND are identified quickly and generally progress well alongside their peers. Early years provision gives children a strong foundation, with particularly effective support for early writing, communication and curiosity. Personal development is well organised, with a wide range of trips, clubs and responsibilities helping pupils build confidence and contribute to school life. Staff are proud to work at the school, leaders provide effective professional development, and governors support improvement. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. This was the school's first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and, under current arrangements, no overall effectiveness grade was given. There are still areas to improve. The school's work on language acquisition and writing is not yet embedded consistently across the curriculum: pupils do not always use ambitious vocabulary or give sustained responses, and expectations for writing quality vary in subjects other than English. Persistent absence also remains high for some disadvantaged pupils, including those with SEND, and work with some harder-to-reach families is not yet having the desired impact.

Strengths

• Warm, welcoming and nurturing school community where pupils feel safe
• Pupils behave well, are courteous, polite and confident
• Broad, ambitious and well-designed curriculum with high expectations
• Pupils typically make good progress and achieve in line with national outcomes
• Reading is prioritised, with consistent phonics teaching and careful support
• Pupils with SEND are identified quickly and most make good progress
• Early years provision provides a strong foundation, especially in early writing and communication
• Personal development is well organised, with enriching trips, clubs and pupil responsibilities
• Staff are proud to work at the school and value effective professional development
• Governors work constructively with leaders to support improvement
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• Language and oracy strategies are not consistently applied, so pupils do not always use ambitious vocabulary or give sustained responses
• Expectations for writing quality vary across the curriculum, particularly in subjects other than English
• Persistent absence remains high for some disadvantaged pupils, including those with SEND
• Support for some harder-to-reach families has not yet improved attendance as intended

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

• Benedict Academy
• Bishop Gilpin CofE Primary School
• Harris Primary Academy Merton
• Holy Trinity CofE Primary School
• Merton Park Primary School
• Park Academy
• Singlegate Primary School
• St Mark's Primary School
• Wimbledon Park Primary School

What is Malmesbury Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Malmesbury Primary School is Good, from an inspection in May 2025.

When was Malmesbury Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Malmesbury Primary School was last inspected in May 2025.

How many pupils does Malmesbury Primary School have?

Malmesbury Primary School has 347 pupils on roll.

What age range does Malmesbury Primary School cover?

Malmesbury Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 70% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Malmesbury Primary School?

Malmesbury Primary School is at Malmesbury Road, Morden, Surrey, SM4 6HG.