St Thomas à Becket Church of England Aided Primary School

St Thomas à Becket Church of England Aided Primary School has received a 'Good' overall rating in its first inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The school is described as a friendly and nurturing environment where pupils feel safe and supported. With a strong emphasis on personal development and a broad, ambitious curriculum, students are encouraged to build on their prior learning and develop a love for reading. Notably, the school effectively identifies and supports pupils with special educational needs, ensuring they learn alongside their peers. However, areas for improvement were identified in the consistency of curriculum implementation and assessment practices to deepen pupil knowledge.

Strengths

• Pupils enjoy a broad and ambitious curriculum.
• The school promotes a love of reading from early years.
• Pupils feel safe and supported in a nurturing environment.
• Strong relationships exist between adults and pupils.
• Pupils with SEND are well supported and make good progress.
• The curriculum connects well with the local area and community.

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum implementation lacks precision in some subjects.
• Assessment practices need to be developed further to track pupil knowledge effectively.

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 St Thomas à Becket Church of England Aided Primary School attended 91.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 30.8% 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, 2.5% of pupils at St Thomas à Becket Church of England Aided 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 St Thomas à Becket Church of England Aided Primary School had 11.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 38.1% 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, 15.9% of pupils at St Thomas à Becket Church of England Aided Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.5% 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 St Thomas à Becket Church of England Aided Primary School received £13,213 and spent £12,463 for each of its 41 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £68,000 (£1,651 per pupil).

Across all 19 schools of Equa Mead Learning Trust, income was £7,956 and spending £7,893 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

St Thomas à Becket Church of England Aided Primary School is part of Equa Mead Learning Trust, which runs 22 schools. The nearest others:

• Dauntsey Academy Primary School Devizes
• Lavington School Devizes
• St Barnabas Church of England School, Market Lavington Devizes
• Urchfont Church of England Primary School Devizes
• Chirton Church of England Primary School Devizes
• Five Lanes Church of England Primary School Devizes
• Rushall Church of England Primary School Pewsey
• Woodborough Church of England Primary School Pewsey
• All Cannings Church of England Primary School Devizes
• Bishops Cannings Church of England Primary School Devizes

What is St Thomas à Becket Church of England Aided Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Thomas à Becket Church of England Aided Primary School is Good, from an inspection in March 2024.

When was St Thomas à Becket Church of England Aided Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

St Thomas à Becket Church of England Aided Primary School was last inspected in March 2024.

How many pupils does St Thomas à Becket Church of England Aided Primary School have?

St Thomas à Becket Church of England Aided Primary School has 44 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Thomas à Becket Church of England Aided Primary School cover?

St Thomas à Becket Church of England Aided Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are St Thomas à Becket Church of England Aided Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 67% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Thomas à Becket Church of England Aided Primary School?

St Thomas à Becket Church of England Aided Primary School is at High Street, Tilshead, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP3 4RZ.