Downton CofE VA Primary School
Gravel Close, Downton, Salisbury, SP5 3LZ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Paula Carlton
- Diocese
- Diocese of Salisbury
- Constituency
- Salisbury
- Setting
- Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 300
- Pupils on roll
- 272
- URN
- 126475
- Local authority
- Wiltshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01725510556
About this school
Downton CofE VA Primary School is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Salisbury. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 272 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school 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
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
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
A short monitoring inspection followed on : inspectors found that standards have been maintained.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 27 | 42 | 45 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 78% | 69% | 69% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 22% | 7% | 7% |
| Expected standard in reading | 89% | 88% | 84% |
| Expected standard in maths | 93% | 83% | 82% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 89% | 86% | 82% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 110.0 | 106.0 | 109.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 108.0 | 104.0 | 106.0 |
| Reading progress | +3.90 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.40 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +3.10 | - | - |
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 Downton CofE VA 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 | 78% | 56.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 69% | 56.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 69% | 58.2% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 268 |
| 2023/24 | 288 |
| 2024/25 | 282 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Downton CofE VA Primary School compares
Downton CofE VA Primary School ranked 51st of 174 primary schools in Wiltshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 63% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 76% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 69% | 4.4% | 11.4% | 272 | — |
| Morgan's Vale and Woodfalls Church of England Primary School | 33% | 4.7% | 17.8% | 109 | 1.5 miles |
| Hale Primary School | 69% | 7.3% | 8.7% | 73 | 2.0 miles |
| Breamore Church of England Primary School | 83% | 6.4% | 24% | 77 | 2.5 miles |
| Alderbury and West Grimstead Church of England Primary School | 79% | 4.9% | 14.2% | 119 | 3.6 miles |
| Longford Church of England Primary School | — | 23.6% | 46.7% | 42 | 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.
Inspection history
-
Ungraded inspection report2 April 2025
- 8 January 2020
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 11.35%
- English as an additional language
- 1.4%
- Overall absence
- 4.39%
- Persistent absence
- 7.2%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Morgan's Vale and Woodfalls Church of England Primary School1.5 miles
Primary · Salisbury
-
Hale Primary School2.0 miles
Primary · Fordingbridge
-
Breamore Church of England Primary School2.5 miles
Primary · Fordingbridge
-
Alderbury and West Grimstead Church of England Primary School3.6 miles
Primary · Salisbury
-
Longford Church of England Primary School4.2 miles
Primary · Salisbury
Other schools in Salisbury
Downton CofE VA Primary School ranks 17th of the 40 ranked primary schools in Salisbury.
- Alderbury and West Grimstead Church of England Primary School Primary
- Amesbury Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Primary
- Bemerton St John Church of England Primary Primary
- Broad Chalke CofE Primary School Primary
- Bulford St Leonard's C of E (VA) Primary School Primary
- Chilmark and Fonthill Bishop Church of England Aided Primary School Primary
- Coombe Bissett Church of England Primary School Primary
- Dinton CofE Primary School Primary
- Durrington All Saints Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infants' School Primary
- Durrington Church of England Controlled Junior School Primary
- Gomeldon Primary School Primary
- Great Wishford CofE (VA) Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Downton CofE VA Primary School teach?
- Downton CofE VA Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Salisbury.
- Who is the headteacher of Downton CofE VA Primary School?
- The headteacher of Downton CofE VA Primary School is Mrs Paula Carlton, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Downton CofE VA Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Downton CofE VA 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 big is Downton CofE VA Primary School?
- Downton CofE VA Primary School has 272 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Downton CofE VA Primary School full?
- Downton CofE VA Primary School has capacity for 300 pupils and 272 on roll (91%), 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 Downton CofE VA Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Downton CofE VA Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Salisbury.
- Does Downton CofE VA Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Downton CofE VA Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have Downton CofE VA Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 78% in 2022/23 and 69% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Downton CofE VA Primary School rank locally?
- Downton CofE VA Primary School ranked 51st of 174 primary schools in Wiltshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 63% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 76% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Downton CofE VA Primary School's absence rate?
- Downton CofE VA Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.4% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Downton CofE VA Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Downton CofE VA 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.