Motcombe CofE Primary School
Church Road, Motcombe, Shaftesbury, SP7 9NT
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- SHERBORNE AREA SCHOOLS' TRUST
- Ceo of Southern Academy Trust
- Mr Matthew Barge
- Diocese
- Diocese of Salisbury
- Constituency
- North Dorset
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 146
- URN
- 141798
- Local authority
- Dorset
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01747852018
About this school
Motcombe CofE Primary School is a Church of England primary academy in Shaftesbury. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 146 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Motcombe 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
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
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 26 | 31 | 28 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 50% | 32% | 68% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 12% | 3% | 14% |
| Expected standard in reading | 69% | 61% | 86% |
| Expected standard in maths | 58% | 65% | 75% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 58% | 61% | 82% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 107.0 | 102.0 | 108.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 101.0 | 102.0 | 106.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.80 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -1.50 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -3.00 | - | - |
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 Motcombe 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 | Dorset average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 50% | 53.5% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 32% | 53.3% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 68% | 54.4% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 174 |
| 2023/24 | 183 |
| 2024/25 | 162 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Motcombe CofE Primary School compares
Motcombe CofE Primary School ranked 14th of 89 primary schools in Dorset for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 61% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 87% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 68% | 3.9% | 11.7% | 146 | — |
| Shaftesbury Church of England Primary School | 44% | 6% | 28.4% | 333 | 1.8 miles |
| St Mary the Virgin Church of England Primary School | 59% | 4.3% | 17.9% | 242 | 1.8 miles |
| The Abbey CofE VA Primary School, Shaftesbury | 62% | 5.4% | 14.1% | 201 | 1.8 miles |
| Gillingham Primary School | 50% | 5.4% | 24.8% | 233 | 2.5 miles |
| Semley Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School | 45% | 5.4% | 5.7% | 126 | 2.9 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)
- 11.73%
- English as an additional language
- 4.3%
- Overall absence
- 3.88%
- Persistent absence
- 8.28%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Shaftesbury Church of England Primary School1.8 miles
Primary · Shaftesbury
-
St Mary the Virgin Church of England Primary School1.8 miles
Primary · Gillingham
-
The Abbey CofE VA Primary School, Shaftesbury1.8 miles
Primary · Shaftesbury
-
Gillingham Primary School2.5 miles
Primary · Gillingham
-
Semley Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School2.9 miles
Primary · Shaftesbury
Other schools in Shaftesbury
Motcombe CofE Primary School ranks 1st of the 5 ranked primary schools in Shaftesbury.
- Ludwell Primary School Primary
- Semley Church of England Voluntary Aided 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 Motcombe CofE Primary School teach?
- Motcombe CofE Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Shaftesbury.
- Who is the ceo of southern academy trust of Motcombe CofE Primary School?
- The ceo of southern academy trust of Motcombe CofE Primary School is Mr Matthew Barge, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Motcombe CofE Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Motcombe 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 Motcombe CofE Primary School?
- Motcombe CofE Primary School has 146 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Motcombe CofE Primary School full?
- Motcombe CofE Primary School has capacity for 210 pupils and 146 on roll (70%), 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 Motcombe CofE Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Motcombe CofE Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Salisbury.
- Does Motcombe CofE Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Motcombe CofE Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- Is Motcombe CofE Primary School part of an academy trust?
- Motcombe CofE Primary School is part of SHERBORNE AREA SCHOOLS' TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Motcombe CofE Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 50% in 2022/23 and 68% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Motcombe CofE Primary School compare with other schools in Dorset?
- Motcombe CofE Primary School ranked 14th of 89 primary schools in Dorset for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 61% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 87% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Motcombe CofE Primary School's absence rate?
- Motcombe CofE Primary School's overall absence rate is 3.9% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Motcombe CofE Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Motcombe 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 2 July 2026.