The Abbey CofE VA Primary School, Shaftesbury
St James's Street, Shaftesbury, SP7 8HQ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mr Michael Salisbury
- Diocese
- Diocese of Salisbury
- Constituency
- North Dorset
- Setting
- Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 201
- URN
- 113850
- Local authority
- Dorset
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01747852620
About this school
The Abbey CofE VA Primary School, Shaftesbury is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Shaftesbury. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 201 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 7 December 2022, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 25 | 31 | 21 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 72% | 58% | 62% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 4% | 10% | 5% |
| Expected standard in reading | 76% | 68% | 90% |
| Expected standard in maths | 96% | 71% | 86% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 88% | 68% | 86% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 103.0 | 108.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 107.0 | 103.0 | 106.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.30 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.60 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +3.30 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How The Abbey CofE VA Primary School, Shaftesbury has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Dorset average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 72% | 53.5% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 58% | 53.3% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 62% | 54.4% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 192 |
| 2023/24 | 199 |
| 2024/25 | 191 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How The Abbey CofE VA Primary School, Shaftesbury compares
The Abbey CofE VA Primary School, Shaftesbury ranked 35th of 89 primary schools in Dorset for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 45% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 49% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 62% | 5.4% | 14.1% | 201 | — |
| Shaftesbury Church of England Primary School | 44% | 6% | 28.4% | 333 | 1.0 miles |
| Motcombe CofE Primary School | 68% | 3.9% | 11.7% | 146 | 1.8 miles |
| Ludwell Primary School | 35% | 3.8% | 18.5% | 89 | 2.9 miles |
| St Mary the Virgin Church of England Primary School | 59% | 4.3% | 17.9% | 242 | 3.1 miles |
| Semley Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School | 45% | 5.4% | 5.7% | 126 | 3.3 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 14.14%
- English as an additional language
- 5.2%
- Overall absence
- 5.44%
- Persistent absence
- 15.7%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Shaftesbury Church of England Primary School1.0 miles
Primary · Shaftesbury
-
Motcombe CofE Primary School1.8 miles
Primary · Shaftesbury
-
Ludwell Primary School2.9 miles
Primary · Shaftesbury
-
St Mary the Virgin Church of England Primary School3.1 miles
Primary · Gillingham
-
Semley Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School3.3 miles
Primary · Shaftesbury
Other schools in Shaftesbury
The Abbey CofE VA Primary School, Shaftesbury ranks 2nd of the 5 ranked primary schools in Shaftesbury.
- Ludwell Primary School Primary
- Motcombe CofE Primary School Primary
- Semley Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Primary
- Shaftesbury Church of England Primary School Primary
- St Andrew's Church of England Primary School Primary
- Shaftesbury School Secondary
- Coombe House School Special schools
- Port Regis Preparatory School Independent schools
Common questions
- What year groups does The Abbey CofE VA Primary School, Shaftesbury teach?
- The Abbey CofE VA Primary School, Shaftesbury teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Shaftesbury.
- Who is the headteacher of The Abbey CofE VA Primary School, Shaftesbury?
- The headteacher of The Abbey CofE VA Primary School, Shaftesbury is Mr Michael Salisbury, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was The Abbey CofE VA Primary School, Shaftesbury last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The Abbey CofE VA Primary School, Shaftesbury, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is The Abbey CofE VA Primary School, Shaftesbury?
- The Abbey CofE VA Primary School, Shaftesbury has 201 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is The Abbey CofE VA Primary School, Shaftesbury full?
- The Abbey CofE VA Primary School, Shaftesbury has capacity for 210 pupils and 201 on roll (96%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is The Abbey CofE VA Primary School, Shaftesbury a faith school?
- Yes. The Abbey CofE VA Primary School, Shaftesbury is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Salisbury.
- Does The Abbey CofE VA Primary School, Shaftesbury have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records The Abbey CofE VA Primary School, Shaftesbury as having no nursery classes.
- How have The Abbey CofE VA Primary School, Shaftesbury's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 72% in 2022/23 and 62% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does The Abbey CofE VA Primary School, Shaftesbury rank locally?
- The Abbey CofE VA Primary School, Shaftesbury ranked 35th of 89 primary schools in Dorset for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 45% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 49% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is The Abbey CofE VA Primary School, Shaftesbury's absence rate?
- The Abbey CofE VA Primary School, Shaftesbury's overall absence rate is 5.4% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are The Abbey CofE VA Primary School, Shaftesbury's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, The Abbey CofE VA Primary School, Shaftesbury's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 29 June 2026.