Minchinhampton Primary Academy

Minchinhampton Primary Academy is a good school overall, with inspectors finding high ambition, a well-structured curriculum and a strong reading culture. Pupils enjoy learning, behave well and feel safe in a calm, orderly and compassionate community. Personal development is a particular strength: pupils take part in a wide range of clubs, debates and charitable activities that build their understanding of others and active citizenship. The school has used support from the Diocese of Gloucester Academy Trust to develop an ambitious curriculum, and teachers generally check understanding and address gaps promptly. Pupils with SEND access the same curriculum and staff adapt work to meet their needs. Safeguarding is effective, and trustees and governors have an accurate view of the school. However, writing is less secure. Pupils do not always get enough practice in transcription and applying their writing skills, and some errors go uncorrected, which holds back some pupils, including those with SEND and disadvantaged pupils. Early years provision also needs sharper systems for checking children’s learning across all important areas, and some indoor activities do not prepare all children well for Year 1.

Strengths

• Strong reading culture with effective support for pupils who fall behind
• Ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum supported by the trust
• Teachers check understanding and address misconceptions promptly
• Pupils with SEND access the same high-quality curriculum with well-trained staff support
• Personal development is exemplary, with extensive extracurricular and citizenship opportunities
• Calm and orderly environment with polite pupils and rare disruptions to learning
• Strong community ethos and compassion, helping pupils feel safe
• Effective safeguarding arrangements
• Trustees and governors have an accurate understanding of the school and fulfil responsibilities effectively

Areas for Improvement

• Writing curriculum implementation does not give pupils enough practice in transcription and applying writing skills
• Teachers do not consistently notice and address writing errors, so some pupils, including pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, underachieve in writing
• Early years systems for checking children’s learning across all important areas are not rigorous enough
• Some indoor early years activities do not support children’s development well, leaving some children less well prepared for Year 1

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 Minchinhampton Primary Academy attended 94.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 12.0% 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, 1.0% of pupils at Minchinhampton Primary Academy 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 Minchinhampton Primary Academy had 21.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 14.4% 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, 23.8% of pupils at Minchinhampton Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.0% 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 Minchinhampton Primary Academy received £6,774 and spent £6,858 for each of its 286 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £182,000 (£637 per pupil).

Across all 25 schools of The Diocese of Gloucester Academies Trust, income was £6,887 and spending £6,916 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 Stroud · Gloucestershire local authority: places and applications

Minchinhampton Primary Academy is part of The Diocese of Gloucester Academies Trust, which runs 25 schools. The nearest others:

• Amberley Parochial School Stroud
• St Matthew's Church of England Primary School Stroud
• Whiteshill Primary School Stroud
• St Mary's Church of England Primary School Tetbury
• Coaley Church of England Primary Academy Dursley
• Dursley Church of England Primary Academy Dursley
• Hardwicke Parochial Primary Academy Gloucester
• Lakefield CofE Primary School Gloucester
• Field Court Church of England Infant Academy Gloucester
• Clearwater Church of England Primary Academy Gloucester

What is Minchinhampton Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

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

When was Minchinhampton Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Minchinhampton Primary Academy was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does Minchinhampton Primary Academy have?

Minchinhampton Primary Academy has 260 pupils on roll.

What age range does Minchinhampton Primary Academy cover?

Minchinhampton Primary Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 73% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Minchinhampton Primary Academy?

Minchinhampton Primary Academy is at School Road, Minchinhampton, Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL6 9BP.