Abbas and Templecombe Church School

Abbas and Templecombe Church School is a small rural Church of England primary school within the Bath and Wells Diocesan Academies Trust. Inspectors found the school performing at the expected standard across all inspected areas, with safeguarding standards met. Since academisation, leadership has changed and the school has benefited from stronger trust collaboration; leaders have a clear vision and an accurate understanding of priorities. Pupils are happy, safe and well cared for in a calm, inclusive school. The curriculum is broad, early reading, writing and mathematics are prioritised, early years provision is strong, and support for disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities is well organised. Attendance is improving, behaviour is positive, bullying is very rare, and personal development is enriched through local safety education, forest school, clubs and visits. Concerns are limited but next steps focus on making wider-curriculum tasks consistently well designed and closely matched to all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Leaders should also make enrichment and social, emotional and mental health opportunities more systematic and ambitious. Data shows a recent dip in mathematics outcomes below national average and overall absence above national average in 2024/25, although leaders are taking action and the three-year mathematics picture is close to average.

Strengths

• Broad curriculum with clear expectations and secure foundations in early reading, writing and mathematics
• Effective use of assessment to identify gaps and provide timely targeted support
• Improving attendance supported by detailed tracking and early work with families
• Calm, purposeful classrooms with high behaviour expectations and positive relationships
• Pupils show respect and kindness, and bullying is very rare
• Strong early years provision that helps children settle quickly and become confident readers
• Committed inclusion with robust identification and support for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND
• Effective leadership, governance and trust support with clear improvement planning
• Comprehensive personal development programme covering wellbeing, relationships and local safety
• Enrichment through forest school, clubs, residential visits and diverse books and activities
• Pupils achieve broadly in line with national outcomes by the end of Year 6

Areas for Improvement

• Learning tasks in the wider curriculum are not consistently well designed to achieve intended outcomes
• Wider-curriculum adaptations are not always closely matched to individual pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND
• Enrichment and experiences need more systematic planning to raise aspirations and broaden awareness of the wider world
• Opportunities supporting social, emotional and mental health needs should be more ambitious, systematic and responsive
• Participation in enrichment for disadvantaged pupils needs to continue increasing
• Mathematics outcomes in 2024/25 were below national average, although the three-year average is close
• Overall absence in 2024/25 was above national average, though attendance is improving

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 Abbas and Templecombe Church School attended 93.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 14.4% 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, 1.8% of pupils at Abbas and Templecombe Church 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 Abbas and Templecombe Church School had 20.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 18.2% 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, 20.2% of pupils at Abbas and Templecombe Church School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.8% 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 Abbas and Templecombe Church School received £7,457 and spent £7,478 for each of its 111 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £24,000 (-£213 per pupil).

Across all 45 schools of The Bath and Wells Diocesan Academies Trust, income was £7,160 and spending £7,193 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 Somerset · Somerset local authority: places and applications

Abbas and Templecombe Church School is part of The Bath and Wells Diocesan Academies Trust, which runs 46 schools. The nearest others:

• Horsington Church School Templecombe
• St Nicholas CofE Primary School, Henstridge Templecombe
• Holy Trinity Church School Yeovil
• St Aldhelms Church School Shepton Mallet
• All Saints Church School Yeovil
• Norton Sub Hamdon Church School Stoke-Sub-Hamdon
• Martock Church School Martock
• Christ Church First School Frome
• West Chinnock Church School Crewkerne
• Oakhill Church School Radstock

What is Abbas and Templecombe Church School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Abbas and Templecombe Church School is Expected standard, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was Abbas and Templecombe Church School last inspected by Ofsted?

Abbas and Templecombe Church School was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does Abbas and Templecombe Church School have?

Abbas and Templecombe Church School has 109 pupils on roll.

What age range does Abbas and Templecombe Church School cover?

Abbas and Templecombe Church School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Abbas and Templecombe Church School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 64% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Abbas and Templecombe Church School?

Abbas and Templecombe Church School is at School Lane, Templecombe, Somerset, BA8 0HP.