Sopley Primary School
South Ripley, Bransgore, Christchurch, BH23 8ET
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Executive Headteacher
- Mr Mathew Bowen
- Federation
- Federation of Burley and Sopley Primary Schools
- Constituency
- New Forest West
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 118
- Pupils on roll
- 71
- URN
- 115948
- Local authority
- Hampshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01425672343
About this school
Sopley Primary School is a community primary school in Christchurch. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 71 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Sopley Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out 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 8 February 2024, 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 | 15 | 15 | 13 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 60% | 27% | 38% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 87% | 53% | 69% |
| Expected standard in maths | 67% | 27% | 46% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 87% | 33% | 46% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 107.0 | 101.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 102.0 | 95.0 | 99.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.30 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -1.30 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.30 | - | - |
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 Sopley Primary School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Hampshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 60% | 58.5% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 27% | 58.1% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 38% | 60.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 87 |
| 2023/24 | 82 |
| 2024/25 | 86 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Sopley Primary School compares
Sopley Primary School ranked 297th of 303 primary schools in Hampshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 10% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 29% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 38% | 6.6% | 27.9% | 71 | — |
| Bransgore Church of England Primary School | 70% | 4.2% | 12.2% | 351 | 1.9 miles |
| Burton Church of England Primary School | 53% | 4.5% | 21% | 258 | 2.0 miles |
| Twynham Primary School | 82% | 3.9% | 12.3% | 215 | 2.5 miles |
| St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Christchurch | 74% | 7.1% | 33.5% | 199 | 3.1 miles |
| Christchurch Infant School | — | 5% | 11.2% | 285 | 3.2 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)
- 27.91%
- English as an additional language
- 7%
- Overall absence
- 6.64%
- Persistent absence
- 20%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Bransgore Church of England Primary School1.9 miles
Primary · Christchurch
-
Burton Church of England Primary School2.0 miles
Primary · Christchurch
-
Twynham Primary School2.5 miles
Primary · Christchurch
-
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Christchurch3.1 miles
Primary · Christchurch
-
Christchurch Infant School3.2 miles
Primary · Christchurch
Other schools in Christchurch
Sopley Primary School ranks 10th of the 10 ranked primary schools in Christchurch.
- Bransgore Church of England Primary School Primary
- Burton Church of England Primary School Primary
- Christchurch Infant School Primary
- Christchurch Junior School Primary
- Highcliffe St Mark Primary School Primary
- Mudeford Community Infants' School Primary
- Mudeford Junior School Primary
- Somerford Primary School Primary
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Christchurch Primary
- The Priory Church of England Primary School Primary
- Twynham Primary School Primary
- Highcliffe School Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does Sopley Primary School teach?
- Sopley Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Christchurch.
- Who is the executive headteacher of Sopley Primary School?
- The executive headteacher of Sopley Primary School is Mr Mathew Bowen, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Sopley Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Sopley Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Sopley Primary School?
- Sopley Primary School has 71 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Sopley Primary School full?
- Sopley Primary School has capacity for 118 pupils and 71 on roll (60%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Sopley Primary School a faith school?
- No. Sopley Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Sopley Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Sopley Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- Is Sopley Primary School part of an academy trust?
- Sopley Primary School is part of the Federation of Burley and Sopley Primary Schools federation. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Sopley Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 60% in 2022/23 and 38% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Sopley Primary School compare with other schools in Hampshire?
- Sopley Primary School ranked 297th of 303 primary schools in Hampshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 10% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 29% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Sopley Primary School's absence rate?
- Sopley Primary School's overall absence rate is 6.6% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Sopley Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Sopley Primary School'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 30 June 2026.