Sarum Academy

Sarum Academy is performing well, maintaining its status as a good school since its last inspection in 2017. The school provides a welcoming environment where students feel safe and are encouraged to participate in a variety of activities beyond the classroom. The leadership team is focused on ensuring high aspirations for all students, committing to an inclusive curriculum that supports pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). While many students excel in their studies, there is a small minority who struggle to remain motivated, which affects their learning outcomes.

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe and happy at school.
• The curriculum is well planned and teaches a broad range of subjects.
• Leaders effectively support students with SEND, ensuring their success.
• Strong relationships between staff and pupils enhance the learning environment.
• High levels of participation in extracurricular activities.
• Positive attitudes towards learning are prevalent among most students.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent use of assessment in some subjects affects long-term retention of knowledge among pupils.
• A small minority of students are less motivated, impacting their performance.

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 Sarum Academy attended 86.0% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 34.0% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

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, 10.9% of pupils at Sarum Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 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 Sarum Academy had 14.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 14.7% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

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, 17.8% of pupils at Sarum Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 7.6% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

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 secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Sarum Academy received £9,254 and spent £9,303 for each of its 783 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £37,000 (-£47 per pupil).

Across all 11 schools of Magna Learning Partnership, income was £7,766 and spending £7,975 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Salisbury · Wiltshire local authority: places and applications

Sarum Academy is part of Magna Learning Partnership, which runs 11 schools. The nearest others:

• Pembroke Park Primary School Salisbury
• Bemerton St John Church of England Primary Salisbury
• Old Sarum Primary School Salisbury
• Salisbury Sixth Form College Salisbury
• Wyvern St Edmund's Academy Salisbury
• Amesbury Archer Primary School Amesbury
• Amesbury Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Salisbury
• The Trafalgar School at Downton Salisbury
• Morgan's Vale and Woodfalls Church of England Primary School Salisbury
• The New Forest Church of England Primary School Wilts

What is Sarum Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Sarum Academy is Good, from an inspection in April 2023.

When was Sarum Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Sarum Academy was last inspected in April 2023.

How many pupils does Sarum Academy have?

Sarum Academy has 747 pupils on roll.

What age range does Sarum Academy cover?

Sarum Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Sarum Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 32.3, and 19% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Sarum Academy?

Sarum Academy is at Westwood Road, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP2 9HS.