Western Downland Church of England Aided Primary School
Rockbourne, Fordingbridge, SP6 3NA
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Alice Tubbs
- Diocese
- Diocese of Salisbury
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- New Forest West
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 200
- Pupils on roll
- 160
- URN
- 116387
- Local authority
- Hampshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01725518233
About this school
Western Downland Church of England Aided Primary School is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Fordingbridge. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 160 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Western Downland Church of England Aided 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. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 13 September 2023, 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 | 27 | 31 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 80% | 59% | 65% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 16% | 15% | 10% |
| Expected standard in reading | 92% | 78% | 81% |
| Expected standard in maths | 96% | 85% | 74% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 92% | 85% | 84% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 109.0 | 106.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 107.0 | 105.0 | 106.0 |
| Reading progress | +3.50 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.40 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +2.40 | - | - |
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 Western Downland Church of England Aided 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 | 80% | 58.5% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 59% | 58.1% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 65% | 60.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 203 |
| 2023/24 | 190 |
| 2024/25 | 181 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Western Downland Church of England Aided Primary School compares
Western Downland Church of England Aided Primary School ranked 151st of 303 primary schools in Hampshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 53% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 95% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 65% | 3.3% | 8.3% | 160 | — |
| Breamore Church of England Primary School | 83% | 6.4% | 24% | 77 | 2.7 miles |
| Fordingbridge Junior School | 62% | 3.3% | 21.8% | 217 | 2.7 miles |
| Fordingbridge Infant School | — | 4.6% | 16.2% | 160 | 2.7 miles |
| St James' Church of England First School and Nursery, Alderholt | — | 4.6% | 16.9% | 125 | 3.5 miles |
| Downton CofE VA Primary School | 69% | 4.4% | 11.4% | 272 | 4.2 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)
- 8.33%
- English as an additional language
- 0.6%
- Overall absence
- 3.32%
- Persistent absence
- 5.48%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Breamore Church of England Primary School2.7 miles
Primary · Fordingbridge
-
Fordingbridge Junior School2.7 miles
Primary · Fordingbridge
-
Fordingbridge Infant School2.7 miles
Primary · Fordingbridge
-
St James' Church of England First School and Nursery, Alderholt3.5 miles
Primary · Fordingbridge
-
Downton CofE VA Primary School4.2 miles
Primary · Salisbury
Other schools in Fordingbridge
Western Downland Church of England Aided Primary School ranks 3rd of the 5 ranked primary schools in Fordingbridge.
- Breamore Church of England Primary School Primary
- Fordingbridge Infant School Primary
- Fordingbridge Junior School Primary
- Hale Primary School Primary
- Hyde Church of England Primary School Primary
- St James' Church of England First School and Nursery, Alderholt Primary
- The Burgate School and Sixth Form Secondary
- Forres Sandle Manor School Independent schools
Common questions
- What ages does Western Downland Church of England Aided Primary School teach?
- Western Downland Church of England Aided Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Fordingbridge.
- Who is the headteacher of Western Downland Church of England Aided Primary School?
- The headteacher of Western Downland Church of England Aided Primary School is Mrs Alice Tubbs, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Western Downland Church of England Aided Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Western Downland Church of England Aided 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 Western Downland Church of England Aided Primary School?
- Western Downland Church of England Aided Primary School has 160 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Western Downland Church of England Aided Primary School full?
- Western Downland Church of England Aided Primary School has capacity for 200 pupils and 160 on roll (80%), 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 Western Downland Church of England Aided Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Western Downland Church of England Aided Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Salisbury.
- Does Western Downland Church of England Aided Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Western Downland Church of England Aided Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have Western Downland Church of England Aided Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 80% in 2022/23 and 65% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Western Downland Church of England Aided Primary School compare with other schools in Hampshire?
- Western Downland Church of England Aided Primary School ranked 151st of 303 primary schools in Hampshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 53% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 95% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Western Downland Church of England Aided Primary School's absence rate?
- Western Downland Church of England Aided Primary School's overall absence rate is 3.3% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Western Downland Church of England Aided Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Western Downland Church of England Aided 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 2 July 2026.