Christian Malford CofE Primary School

Christian Malford CofE Primary School is a very small Church of England primary school that joined Blue Kite Academy Trust in January 2024. The inspection found safeguarding standards met and judged attendance and behaviour, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing to be at the expected standard. Leaders have made rapid improvements, particularly in safeguarding, attendance systems, pastoral support and the personal development programme, and parents speak highly of the school's caring and inclusive approach. Pupils behave well, feel safe and are well supported, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Strengths

• Strong pastoral care and an inclusive culture where pupils feel safe and known.
• Rigorous attendance systems are improving attendance and reducing persistent absence markedly.
• Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities access the full curriculum successfully.
• Leaders and governors have an accurate view of the school and have made rapid improvements.
• A comprehensive personal development programme is shaped around the school's context.
• Pupils behave well and show kindness and respect to one another.
• Staff value the support leaders provide for their workload and wellbeing.
• Extra-curricular opportunities are tracked so disadvantaged pupils can access them.
• Governors are knowledgeable and provide strong oversight, especially for SEND and safeguarding.
• Phonics teaching is helping pupils with gaps to catch up in reading.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils have gaps in their English and mathematical knowledge.
• Some teaching does not routinely check what pupils can do or help them when stuck or ready to deepen understanding.
• Weaknesses remain in the implementation of the English and mathematics curriculums.
• Early years curriculum implementation still has weaknesses, including in Nursery and Reception.
• Some Nursery teaching does not precisely address children's early language and physical development.
• Some Reception children do not gain secure mathematical knowledge expected for their age.
• Pupils' recall of number facts and multiplication tables is not fully secure.
• Some pupils use inaccurate letter formation or do not apply phonics knowledge to spell accurately.
• Published attendance and persistent absence figures remain above national averages, although improving.
• Staff expectations and pupils' standards in reading, writing and mathematics need to continue rising.

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 Christian Malford CofE Primary School attended 92.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 25.9% 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 Christian Malford 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 Christian Malford CofE Primary School had 16.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 34.8% 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, 14.3% of pupils at Christian Malford CofE Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.8% 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 2023–24 Christian Malford CofE Primary School received £17,758 and spent £15,261 for each of its 41 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £5,000 (£115 per pupil).

Across all 24 schools of The Blue Kite Academy Trust, income was £6,027 and spending £7,133 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 Chippenham · Wiltshire local authority: places and applications

Christian Malford CofE Primary School is part of The Blue Kite Academy Trust, which runs 27 schools. The nearest others:

• Sutton Benger Church of England Primary School Chippenham
• Seagry Church of England Primary School Chippenham
• Somerfords' Walter Powell CofE Academy Chippenham
• St Peter's CofE Academy Chippenham
• Lydiard Millicent CofE Primary School Swindon
• Brook Field Primary School Swindon
• Ridgeway Farm CofE Academy Swindon
• Even Swindon Primary School Swindon
• Robert Le Kyng Primary School Swindon
• Ferndale Primary School & Nursery Swindon

What is Christian Malford CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Christian Malford CofE Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Christian Malford CofE Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Christian Malford CofE Primary School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Christian Malford CofE Primary School have?

Christian Malford CofE Primary School has 56 pupils on roll.

What age range does Christian Malford CofE Primary School cover?

Christian Malford CofE Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

Where is Christian Malford CofE Primary School?

Christian Malford CofE Primary School is at Church Road, Christian Malford, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN15 4BW.