Alderbury and West Grimstead Church of England Primary School

This full inspection found Alderbury and West Grimstead Church of England Primary School performing well overall, with safeguarding standards met. The small Church of England primary, part of Pickwick Academy Trust, has improved steadily since joining the trust. Pupils achieve well from their starting points, and Year 6 outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics are in line with or above national averages, including for disadvantaged pupils. Attendance is broadly in line with national figures, and persistent absence is below the national average. The school's strengths include caring and trusting relationships, very good behaviour, and a calm, orderly environment where pupils feel safe and bullying is rare. Leaders have strengthened the curriculum, teaching is increasingly consistent, and pupils with SEND are identified quickly and supported well. Inclusion is a clear priority, with effective use of pupil premium funding, and personal development is broad, including enrichment, responsibilities and community activities. Leadership and governance are effective, with strong trust support and attention to staff wellbeing. There are a few areas to refine. Pupils' writing is not yet consistently accurate in punctuation and handwriting across the curriculum. In the early years, some activities are not always purposeful enough, which can limit opportunities to extend children's communication and language. Leaders should also continue their work to reduce the small number of pupils who are persistently absent.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve well from their individual starting points, with Year 6 outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics in line with or above national averages.
• Disadvantaged pupils are well supported through pupil premium funding and individual tracking of strengths and contributions.
• Behaviour is a notable strength; pupils are calm, polite, cooperative and rarely disruptive.
• Pupils feel safe, report that bullying is rare, and trust adults to resolve concerns quickly.
• The curriculum is well organised, including across mixed-age classes, with effective questioning, modelling and retrieval practice.
• Inclusion is strong; pupils with SEND are identified quickly and tasks are typically adapted effectively.
• Leadership and governance are effective, with clear priorities, trust support and attention to staff workload and wellbeing.
• Personal development and enrichment are broad, including first aid, music, clubs, residential visits and pupil responsibilities.
• Early years provides a calm and welcoming start, and children make good progress from their starting points.

Areas for Improvement

• Some inconsistencies remain in pupils' punctuation and handwriting accuracy in writing across the curriculum.
• In the early years, some activities lack a clear purpose, limiting opportunities to extend children's communication and language.
• A small number of pupils remain persistently absent, and leaders should continue to prioritise reducing this.

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 Alderbury and West Grimstead Church of England Primary School attended 95.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.4% 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, 1.4% of pupils at Alderbury and West Grimstead Church of England 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 Alderbury and West Grimstead Church of England Primary School had 16.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 24.4% 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, 13.4% of pupils at Alderbury and West Grimstead Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.0% 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 Alderbury and West Grimstead Church of England Primary School received £7,132 and spent £7,272 for each of its 141 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £108,000 (£764 per pupil).

Across all 21 schools of Pickwick Academy Trust, income was £6,042 and spending £5,893 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

Alderbury and West Grimstead Church of England Primary School is part of Pickwick Academy Trust, which runs 21 schools. The nearest others:

• Longford Church of England Primary School Salisbury
• Pitton Church of England Primary School Salisbury
• St Andrew's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Laverstock Salisbury
• Greentrees Primary School Salisbury
• Winterslow Church of England Primary School Salisbury
• Winterbourne Earls Church of England Primary School Salisbury
• Gomeldon Primary School Salisbury
• Woodford Valley Church of England Aided School Salisbury
• Ludwell Primary School Shaftesbury
• Princecroft Primary School Warminster

What is Alderbury and West Grimstead Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Alderbury and West Grimstead Church of England Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was Alderbury and West Grimstead Church of England Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Alderbury and West Grimstead Church of England Primary School was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does Alderbury and West Grimstead Church of England Primary School have?

Alderbury and West Grimstead Church of England Primary School has 119 pupils on roll.

What age range does Alderbury and West Grimstead Church of England Primary School cover?

Alderbury and West Grimstead Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Alderbury and West Grimstead Church of England Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 79% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Alderbury and West Grimstead Church of England Primary School?

Alderbury and West Grimstead Church of England Primary School is at Firs Road, Alderbury, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP5 3BD.