St Paul's Church of England VC Junior School
Paul Street, Shepton Mallet, BA4 5LA
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 7 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Caroline Owen
- Diocese
- Diocese of Bath and Wells
- Constituency
- Wells and Mendip Hills
- Setting
- Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 297
- Pupils on roll
- 324
- URN
- 123783
- Local authority
- Somerset
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01749343250
About this school
St Paul's Church of England VC Junior School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Shepton Mallet. It teaches children aged 7 to 11 and has 324 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St Paul's Church of England VC Junior 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
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 92 | 66 | 75 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 48% | 52% | 56% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 4% | 3% | 7% |
| Expected standard in reading | 64% | 67% | 67% |
| Expected standard in maths | 55% | 67% | 65% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 68% | 74% | 71% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 103.0 | 103.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 100.0 | 102.0 | 103.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.90 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -0.60 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -3.80 | - | - |
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 St Paul's Church of England VC Junior 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 | Somerset average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 48% | 54.1% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 52% | 55.4% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 56% | 57.3% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 330 |
| 2023/24 | 322 |
| 2024/25 | 326 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Paul's Church of England VC Junior School compares
St Paul's Church of England VC Junior School ranked 100th of 155 primary schools in Somerset for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 31% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 47% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 56% | 5.6% | 26.7% | 324 | — |
| Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School & Nursery | — | 6.1% | 26.1% | 186 | 0.3 miles |
| Bowlish Infant School | — | 6.2% | 13.3% | 114 | 0.6 miles |
| St Aldhelms Church School | 64% | 5.7% | 13.2% | 176 | 1.7 miles |
| Croscombe Church of England Primary School | — | 8.5% | 20% | 42 | 1.8 miles |
| Oakhill Church School | 53% | 6.9% | 19% | 109 | 2.6 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)
- 26.69%
- English as an additional language
- 18.7%
- Overall absence
- 5.59%
- Persistent absence
- 15.52%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School & Nursery0.3 miles
Primary · Shepton Mallet
-
Bowlish Infant School0.6 miles
Primary · Shepton Mallet
-
St Aldhelms Church School1.7 miles
Primary · Shepton Mallet
-
Croscombe Church of England Primary School1.8 miles
Primary · Wells
-
Oakhill Church School2.6 miles
Primary · Radstock
Other schools in Shepton Mallet
- Bowlish Infant School Primary
- Ditcheat Primary School Primary
- Evercreech Church of England Primary School Primary
- Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School & Nursery Primary
- St Aldhelms Church School Primary
- Upton Noble CofE VC Primary School Primary
- Whitstone Secondary
- The Mendip School Free Schools
- All Hallows School Independent schools
Common questions
- What ages does St Paul's Church of England VC Junior School teach?
- St Paul's Church of England VC Junior School teaches children aged 7 to 11. It is a primary school in Shepton Mallet.
- Who is the headteacher of St Paul's Church of England VC Junior School?
- The headteacher of St Paul's Church of England VC Junior School is Mrs Caroline Owen, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St Paul's Church of England VC Junior School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Paul's Church of England VC Junior 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 St Paul's Church of England VC Junior School?
- St Paul's Church of England VC Junior School has 324 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 7 to 11.
- Is St Paul's Church of England VC Junior School full?
- St Paul's Church of England VC Junior School has capacity for 297 pupils and 324 on roll (109%), so it is at or above 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 St Paul's Church of England VC Junior School a faith school?
- Yes. St Paul's Church of England VC Junior School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Bath and Wells.
- Does St Paul's Church of England VC Junior School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records St Paul's Church of England VC Junior School as having no nursery classes.
- How have St Paul's Church of England VC Junior School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 48% in 2022/23 and 56% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St Paul's Church of England VC Junior School compare with other schools in Somerset?
- St Paul's Church of England VC Junior School ranked 100th of 155 primary schools in Somerset for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 31% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 47% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St Paul's Church of England VC Junior School's absence rate?
- St Paul's Church of England VC Junior School's overall absence rate is 5.6% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Paul's Church of England VC Junior School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Paul's Church of England VC Junior 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.