Semley Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
Semley, Shaftesbury, SP7 9AU
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Abigail Carlyle-Clarke
- Diocese
- Diocese of Salisbury
- Constituency
- Salisbury
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 150
- Pupils on roll
- 126
- URN
- 126439
- Local authority
- Wiltshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01747830427
About this school
Semley Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Shaftesbury. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 126 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Semley Church of England Voluntary 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. 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 4 May 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 | 11 | 11 | 11 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 64% | 36% | 45% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 18% | 9% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 91% | 82% | 73% |
| Expected standard in maths | 82% | 64% | 82% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 82% | 55% | 55% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 109.0 | 107.0 | 103.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 106.0 | 104.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | +2.90 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.50 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.00 | - | - |
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 Semley Church of England Voluntary 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 | Wiltshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 64% | 56.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 36% | 56.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 45% | 58.2% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 119 |
| 2023/24 | 123 |
| 2024/25 | 123 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Semley Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School compares
Semley Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School ranked 143rd of 174 primary schools in Wiltshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 16% 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 | 45% | 5.4% | 5.7% | 126 | — |
| Wardour Catholic Primary School | 67% | 3.5% | 3.5% | 95 | 2.2 miles |
| Shaftesbury Church of England Primary School | 44% | 6% | 28.4% | 333 | 2.4 miles |
| Ludwell Primary School | 35% | 3.8% | 18.5% | 89 | 2.8 miles |
| Motcombe CofE Primary School | 68% | 3.9% | 11.7% | 146 | 2.9 miles |
| The Abbey CofE VA Primary School, Shaftesbury | 62% | 5.4% | 14.1% | 201 | 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)
- 5.69%
- English as an additional language
- 0%
- Overall absence
- 5.41%
- Persistent absence
- 8.41%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Wardour Catholic Primary School2.2 miles
Primary · Tisbury
-
Shaftesbury Church of England Primary School2.4 miles
Primary · Shaftesbury
-
Ludwell Primary School2.8 miles
Primary · Shaftesbury
-
Motcombe CofE Primary School2.9 miles
Primary · Shaftesbury
-
The Abbey CofE VA Primary School, Shaftesbury3.3 miles
Primary · Shaftesbury
Other schools in Shaftesbury
Semley Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School ranks 3rd of the 5 ranked primary schools in Shaftesbury.
- Ludwell Primary School Primary
- Motcombe CofE Primary School Primary
- Shaftesbury Church of England Primary School Primary
- St Andrew's Church of England Primary School Primary
- The Abbey CofE VA Primary School, Shaftesbury Primary
- Shaftesbury School Secondary
- Coombe House School Special schools
- Port Regis Preparatory School Independent schools
Common questions
- What ages does Semley Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School teach?
- Semley Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Shaftesbury.
- Who is the headteacher of Semley Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
- The headteacher of Semley Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is Mrs Abigail Carlyle-Clarke, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Semley Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Semley Church of England Voluntary 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 Semley Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
- Semley Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School has 126 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Semley Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School full?
- Semley Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School has capacity for 150 pupils and 126 on roll (84%), 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 Semley Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Semley Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Salisbury.
- Does Semley Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Semley Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have Semley Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 64% in 2022/23 and 45% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Semley Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School compare with other schools in Wiltshire?
- Semley Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School ranked 143rd of 174 primary schools in Wiltshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 16% 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 Semley Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's absence rate?
- Semley Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's overall absence rate is 5.4% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Semley Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Semley Church of England Voluntary 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 30 June 2026.