New Close Primary School

New Close Primary School is performing well overall, with inclusion judged as a strong standard and all other evaluated areas at the expected standard. Safeguarding requirements are met, and pupils are happy, safe and well supported in a calm, caring school. Leaders have created a culture of high expectations, particularly for pupils with SEND, disadvantaged pupils and those with English as an additional language, and they use external agencies and pupil premium funding effectively. Pupils achieve consistently well, especially in mathematics, and are well prepared for the next stage of education. The school has undergone significant change, including a new headteacher from September 2025 and a move from mixed-age to single-year classes, and it serves a community with a high proportion of pupils with SEND support and many military families. Pupils attend well and behave positively; bullying and unkindness are rare. The curriculum is ambitious and newly implemented, with staff well trained, but teaching is not always precisely matched to pupils' starting points, so some wider-curriculum knowledge is less developed than it could be. In early years, staff do not consistently extend children's communication and language. Leaders and governors are committed and have an accurate view of the school, but the work of leaders at all levels needs further development to accelerate improvement. The school's extensive pastoral and personal development work is a real strength, helping pupils to feel welcomed and to develop confidence and wellbeing. Overall, this is a strong and improving school with clear next steps rather than serious weaknesses.

Strengths

• Inclusion is a strong standard, with high expectations for all pupils.
• Rigorous early identification and swift support for pupils with SEND, disadvantaged pupils and those with EAL.
• Effective use of pupil premium funding and alternative provision.
• Pupils achieve consistently well, particularly in mathematics.
• Pupils, including those with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, are well prepared for the next stage of education.
• Pupils attend well and leaders intervene quickly and supportively when absence concerns arise.
• The school is calm and vibrant, with positive behaviour and rare bullying or unkindness.
• An ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum with effective teaching, assessment and staff training.
• Early years provides a strong start in reading, writing, number and personal development.
• Leaders are ambitious, committed and responsive, and governance provides appropriate support and challenge.
• Comprehensive personal development and pastoral support are embedded across the school.
• Warm relationships with parents and pupils create a caring, nurturing culture.
• Safeguarding standards are met.

Areas for Improvement

• Teaching resources are not always precisely matched to pupils' individual starting points.
• Pupils' knowledge in the wider curriculum is sometimes not as developed as it could be.
• Early years staff do not consistently support children's communication and language development.
• The work of leaders at all levels needs further development to accelerate improvement across the school.
• Disadvantaged pupils' writing outcomes are below the national average.

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 New Close Primary School attended 95.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 15.3% 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, 5.7% of pupils at New Close 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 New Close Primary School had 21.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 22.1% 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, 25.0% of pupils at New Close Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 7.6% 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 New Close Primary School received £6,560 and spent £7,027 for each of its 156 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £161,000 (£1,038 per pupil).

Across all 21 schools of Acorn Education Trust, income was £8,177 and spending £8,032 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 Warminster · Wiltshire local authority: places and applications

New Close Primary School is part of Acorn Education Trust, which runs 21 schools. The nearest others:

• The Avenue Primary School and Children's Centre Warminster
• St John's CofE School Warminster
• Kingdown School Warminster
• Heytesbury Church of England Primary School Warminster
• Dilton Marsh CofE Primary School Westbury
• Chapmanslade Church of England Primary School Westbury
• West Ashton Church of England Primary School Trowbridge
• Willowbrook Primary School Trowbridge
• The Clarendon Academy Trowbridge
• Keevil CofE Primary School Trowbridge

What is New Close Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for New Close Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was New Close Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

New Close Primary School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does New Close Primary School have?

New Close Primary School has 172 pupils on roll.

What age range does New Close Primary School cover?

New Close Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 68% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is New Close Primary School?

New Close Primary School is at 30 Imber Road, Warminster, Wiltshire, BA12 9JJ.