Dauntsey Academy Primary School

Dauntsey Academy Primary School is a caring and inclusive primary school where pupils are well behaved, feel safe and achieve well overall. The 'DAPS way' and the school's high expectations underpin a harmonious culture, strong pastoral care and a broad curriculum that helps most pupils learn successfully. All key judgements are good, and safeguarding is effective. The school's curriculum is ambitious and well sequenced, with strong subject knowledge among staff and effective support for pupils with SEND. Pupils enjoy reading, benefit from enrichment and take on meaningful responsibilities. The early years provision prepares children well, and trust and governance arrangements provide effective support and challenge. There are two main areas for improvement. A small number of pupils who have fallen behind in reading fluency do not get enough practice to catch up quickly. In addition, work is occasionally not matched closely enough to pupils' needs, meaning some do not receive timely help while others are not stretched sufficiently. This was the school's first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Strengths

• Caring and inclusive school culture built around kindness and respect
• High expectations for pupils' academic and personal development
• Broad, ambitious and logically sequenced curriculum
• Pupils learn and use subject-specific vocabulary confidently
• Curriculum helps pupils make clear links across subjects
• Effective identification and support for pupils with SEND
• Teachers have strong subject knowledge and present information clearly
• Pupils enjoy reading and benefit from a well-resourced reading culture
• Phonics teaching is strong, with close checks on pupils' progress
• Early years provision prioritises language and communication well
• Pupils behave well and attend well
• Expert pastoral care supports pupils who need it
• Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain
• Wide range of enrichment, clubs and leadership responsibilities
• Trust and local governing body support and challenge the school ably
• Staff appreciate leaders' actions to support workload and well-being

Areas for Improvement

• A small number of early readers do not have enough opportunities to practise new sounds, slowing fluency development
• Some work is occasionally too easy or too difficult for pupils
• Some pupils do not receive extra help when they need it
• Some pupils are not given sufficiently demanding work to deepen their learning

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 Dauntsey Academy Primary School attended 95.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 4.6% 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, 1.6% of pupils at Dauntsey Academy 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 Dauntsey Academy Primary School had 23.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 22.9% 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, 14.0% of pupils at Dauntsey Academy 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 2024–25 Dauntsey Academy Primary School received £6,989 and spent £6,871 for each of its 185 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £85,000 (£460 per pupil).

Across all 19 schools of Equa Mead Learning Trust, income was £7,956 and spending £7,893 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 Devizes · Wiltshire local authority: places and applications

Dauntsey Academy Primary School is part of Equa Mead Learning Trust, which runs 22 schools. The nearest others:

• Lavington School Devizes
• St Barnabas Church of England School, Market Lavington Devizes
• Urchfont Church of England Primary School Devizes
• Five Lanes Church of England Primary School Devizes
• St Thomas à Becket Church of England Aided Primary School Salisbury
• Chirton Church of England Primary School Devizes
• All Cannings Church of England Primary School Devizes
• Bishops Cannings Church of England Primary School Devizes
• Woodborough Church of England Primary School Pewsey
• Rushall Church of England Primary School Pewsey

What is Dauntsey Academy Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Dauntsey Academy Primary School is Good, from an inspection in June 2025.

When was Dauntsey Academy Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Dauntsey Academy Primary School was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does Dauntsey Academy Primary School have?

Dauntsey Academy Primary School has 200 pupils on roll.

What age range does Dauntsey Academy Primary School cover?

Dauntsey Academy Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

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

In 2025, 52% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Dauntsey Academy Primary School?

Dauntsey Academy Primary School is at Sandfield, West Lavington, Devizes, Wiltshire, SN10 4HY.