Salford Priors CofE Academy

Salford Priors CofE Academy is a small rural primary school that sits at the heart of its community. Inspectors found a nurturing school with warm relationships, high expectations and an ambitious curriculum for all pupils, including those with SEND. Pupils feel safe, typically behave well, and benefit from a rich wider offer, especially sport and leadership opportunities. Reading and early years provision are strong, attendance is improving, and staff, governors and trust members work well together. The school was previously judged to require improvement and has made rapid progress since the new headteacher was appointed in April 2024. The main areas for improvement are the newer parts of the curriculum and behaviour for a small number of pupils. In some subjects, recent curriculum changes mean pupils still have gaps in knowledge and coverage from the previous curriculum. A small number of pupils find it hard to meet the school’s behaviour expectations, which means they miss key learning. Overall, the school is performing well across the inspected areas, with effective safeguarding and strong leadership support from the Diocese of Coventry Multi Academy Trust.

Strengths

• Warm, positive relationships between pupils and staff
• Pupils feel safe in a nurturing environment
• High expectations and an ambitious curriculum for all pupils, including those with SEND
• Carefully tailored support helps most pupils with SEND achieve well
• Pupils typically behave well and older pupils act as excellent role models
• A rich range of extracurricular clubs and trips enhances the curriculum
• The sporting offer for pupils is a particular strength
• Pupils take on leadership roles and develop confidence
• The curriculum is carefully sequenced from early years to Year 6
• Staff explain key information clearly and check pupils’ understanding
• Strong phonics teaching and reading support help pupils keep up
• Children in the early years make a strong start
• Attendance is improving through effective work with families
• Personal development teaches pupils about health, safety and respect for others
• Staff are proud to work at the school and value leaders’ consideration of wellbeing and workload
• Governors and trust members have a firm understanding of the school’s effectiveness
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• In some subjects, the curriculum is relatively new and pupils have gaps in knowledge and coverage from the previous curriculum
• A small number of pupils find it hard to meet the school’s behaviour expectations, which has a negative impact on their learning
• The school needs to continue adapting behaviour strategies where they are not proving effective

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 Salford Priors CofE Academy attended 87.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 28.4% 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, 32.7% of pupils at Salford Priors CofE Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). 2 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 Salford Priors CofE Academy had 8.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 56.5% 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, 32.0% of pupils at Salford Priors CofE Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 20.0% 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 Salford Priors CofE Academy received £14,015 and spent £12,773 for each of its 50 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £19,000 (£386 per pupil).

Across all 22 schools of The Diocese of Coventry Multi-Academy Trust, income was £7,560 and spending £7,478 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 Evesham · Warwickshire local authority: places and applications

Salford Priors CofE Academy is part of The Diocese of Coventry Multi-Academy Trust, which runs 22 schools. The nearest others:

• Studley St Mary's CofE Academy Studley
• All Saints Church of England Academy Warwick
• Burton Green Church of England Academy Kenilworth
• Leigh Church of England Academy Coventry
• St John's Church of England Academy Coventry
• Southam St James CofE Academy Southam
• Long Itchington CofE Academy Southam
• Stretton Church of England Academy Coventry
• Ryton-On-Dunsmore Provost Williams Church of England Academy Coventry
• St Bartholomew's Church of England Academy Coventry

What is Salford Priors CofE Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Salford Priors CofE Academy is Good, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was Salford Priors CofE Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Salford Priors CofE Academy was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Salford Priors CofE Academy have?

Salford Priors CofE Academy has 25 pupils on roll.

What age range does Salford Priors CofE Academy cover?

Salford Priors CofE Academy for pupils aged 5 to 11.

What are Salford Priors CofE Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 27% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Salford Priors CofE Academy?

Salford Priors CofE Academy is at School Road, Salford Priors, Evesham, WR11 8XD.