Sherston CofE Primary School
Knockdown Road, Sherston, Malmesbury, SN16 0NJ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mr Tommy Towers
- Diocese
- Diocese of Bristol
- Constituency
- South Cotswolds
- Setting
- Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 127
- URN
- 126356
- Local authority
- Wiltshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01666840237
About this school
Sherston CofE Primary School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Malmesbury. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 127 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Sherston CofE 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
Ofsted no longer gives schools a single overall grade. Each area of the school's work is graded on a five-point scale, and safeguarding is judged separately.
- Inclusion
- Expected standard
- Curriculum and teaching
- Needs attention
- Achievement
- Expected standard
- Attendance and behaviour
- Strong standard
- Personal development and wellbeing
- Expected standard
- Leadership and governance
- Needs attention
- Early years
- Needs attention
- Safeguarding
- Met
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 19 | 21 | 22 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 79% | 86% | 73% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 5% | 14% | 14% |
| Expected standard in reading | 79% | 95% | 95% |
| Expected standard in maths | 84% | 100% | 100% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 74% | 95% | 95% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 107.0 | 110.0 | 110.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 110.0 | 110.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.60 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.50 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.70 | - | - |
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 Sherston CofE 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 | Wiltshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 79% | 56.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 86% | 56.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 73% | 58.2% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 114 |
| 2023/24 | 113 |
| 2024/25 | 116 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Sherston CofE Primary School compares
Sherston CofE Primary School ranked 34th of 174 primary schools in Wiltshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 73% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 94% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 73% | 3.5% | 3.5% | 127 | — |
| Luckington Community School | 50% | 3.9% | 6.7% | 43 | 1.7 miles |
| Hullavington CofE Primary and Nursery School | 60% | 3.6% | 6.6% | 131 | 3.7 miles |
| Leighterton Primary School | 92% | 4.4% | 6.4% | 116 | 3.7 miles |
| Trinity Church of England Primary School | 60% | 3.9% | 6.5% | 99 | 4.0 miles |
| Hawkesbury Church of England Primary School | — | — | — | 97 | 4.5 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.
Inspection history
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 3.45%
- English as an additional language
- 6.9%
- Overall absence
- 3.45%
- Persistent absence
- 6.86%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Luckington Community School1.7 miles
Primary · Chippenham
-
Hullavington CofE Primary and Nursery School3.7 miles
Primary · Chippenham
-
Leighterton Primary School3.7 miles
Primary · Tetbury
-
Trinity Church of England Primary School4.0 miles
Primary · Badminton
-
Hawkesbury Church of England Primary School4.5 miles
Primary · Badminton
Other schools in Malmesbury
Sherston CofE Primary School ranks 2nd of the 7 ranked primary schools in Malmesbury.
- Crudwell CofE Primary School Primary
- Lea and Garsdon Church of England Primary School Primary
- Malmesbury Church of England Primary School Primary
- Minety Church of England Primary School Primary
- Oaksey CofE Primary School Primary
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Malmesbury Primary
- Malmesbury School Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does Sherston CofE Primary School teach?
- Sherston CofE Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Malmesbury.
- Who is the headteacher of Sherston CofE Primary School?
- The headteacher of Sherston CofE Primary School is Mr Tommy Towers, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Sherston CofE Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Sherston CofE 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 Sherston CofE Primary School?
- Sherston CofE Primary School has 127 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Sherston CofE Primary School full?
- Sherston CofE Primary School has capacity for 210 pupils and 127 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 Sherston CofE Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Sherston CofE Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Bristol.
- Does Sherston CofE Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Sherston CofE Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have Sherston CofE Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 79% in 2022/23 and 73% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Sherston CofE Primary School compare with other schools in Wiltshire?
- Sherston CofE Primary School ranked 34th of 174 primary schools in Wiltshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 73% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 94% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Sherston CofE Primary School's absence rate?
- Sherston CofE Primary School's overall absence rate is 3.5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Sherston CofE Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Sherston CofE 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.