Great Wishford CofE (VA) Primary School

Great Wishford C of E (VA) Primary School is a small, welcoming school that has improved since its previous inspection and is now judged good across all key areas. Leaders have transformed the curriculum so that it is ambitious and well sequenced, and most pupils achieve well. Early reading and phonics are particular strengths, with pupils who fall behind receiving effective support to catch up. Pupils feel happy and safe, behaviour is calm and orderly, and personal development is strong, including through clubs, community events and learning about life in modern Britain. The school is part of The Acorn Education Trust, and trust and local academy council support are helping the school continue to improve. Safeguarding is effective.

Strengths

• A caring and welcoming school community where pupils feel happy and safe
• An ambitious, carefully sequenced wider curriculum that builds knowledge, skills and vocabulary
• A well-sequenced phonics programme that starts early and helps pupils catch up quickly
• Effective identification and support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities
• Calm and orderly behaviour with high expectations reinforced consistently by staff
• Strong personal development, including safety, healthy lifestyles and preparation for life in modern Britain
• Positive relationships with parents and effective support from the trust and local academy council

Areas for Improvement

• In some subjects, teachers do not consistently check that pupils' knowledge is secure
• Some pupils develop misconceptions because errors are not always identified and corrected

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 Great Wishford CofE (VA) Primary School attended 95.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 7.4% 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, 3.5% of pupils at Great Wishford CofE (VA) 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 Great Wishford CofE (VA) Primary School had 13.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 32.7% of pupils at Great Wishford CofE (VA) Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.5% 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 Great Wishford CofE (VA) Primary School received £10,674 and spent £9,234 for each of its 57 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £59,000 (£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 Salisbury · Wiltshire local authority: places and applications

Great Wishford CofE (VA) Primary School is part of Acorn Education Trust, which runs 21 schools. The nearest others:

• Dinton CofE Primary School Salisbury
• St Michael's Church of England Primary School Salisbury
• Avon Valley Academy Salisbury
• Durrington All Saints Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infants' School Salisbury
• Bulford St Leonard's C of E (VA) Primary School Salisbury
• Netheravon All Saints CofE Primary School Salisbury
• Heytesbury Church of England Primary School Warminster
• Kingdown School Warminster
• St John's CofE School Warminster
• New Close Primary School Warminster

What is Great Wishford CofE (VA) Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Great Wishford CofE (VA) Primary School is Good, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was Great Wishford CofE (VA) Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Great Wishford CofE (VA) Primary School was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does Great Wishford CofE (VA) Primary School have?

Great Wishford CofE (VA) Primary School has 55 pupils on roll.

What age range does Great Wishford CofE (VA) Primary School cover?

Great Wishford CofE (VA) Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Great Wishford CofE (VA) Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 0% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Great Wishford CofE (VA) Primary School?

Great Wishford CofE (VA) Primary School is at West Street, Great Wishford, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP2 0PQ.