Sixpenny Handley First School and Nursery
Common Road, Sixpenny Handley, Salisbury, SP5 5NJ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 2 to 9
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- THE HEATH ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Laura Stone
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- North Dorset
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 125
- Pupils on roll
- 73
- URN
- 142503
- Local authority
- Dorset
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01725552356
About this school
Sixpenny Handley First School and Nursery is a primary academy in Salisbury. It teaches children aged 2 to 9 and has 73 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 26 April 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.
Trends over time
How Sixpenny Handley First School and Nursery has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 97 |
| 2023/24 | 89 |
| 2024/25 | 82 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Sixpenny Handley First School and Nursery compares
Its absence rate was lower than 97% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 3.3% | 12.7% | 73 | — |
| Wimborne St Giles Church of England First School and Nursery | — | 4.1% | 17% | 70 | 3.9 miles |
| Cranborne Church of England First School | — | 4.2% | 15.4% | 73 | 4.6 miles |
| Broad Chalke CofE Primary School | 59% | 4% | 6% | 189 | 5.8 miles |
| Ludwell Primary School | 35% | 3.8% | 18.5% | 89 | 6.4 miles |
| Witchampton Church of England First School | — | 2.9% | 0% | 45 | 6.7 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)
- 12.7%
- English as an additional language
- 0%
- Overall absence
- 3.25%
- Persistent absence
- 3.77%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Wimborne St Giles Church of England First School and Nursery3.9 miles
Primary · Wimborne
-
Cranborne Church of England First School4.6 miles
Primary · Wimborne
-
Broad Chalke CofE Primary School5.8 miles
Primary · Salisbury
-
Ludwell Primary School6.4 miles
Primary · Shaftesbury
-
Witchampton Church of England First School6.7 miles
Primary · Wimborne
Other 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
- Downton CofE VA 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
Common questions
- What year groups does Sixpenny Handley First School and Nursery teach?
- Sixpenny Handley First School and Nursery teaches children aged 2 to 9. It is a primary school in Salisbury.
- Who is the headteacher of Sixpenny Handley First School and Nursery?
- The headteacher of Sixpenny Handley First School and Nursery is Mrs Laura Stone, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Sixpenny Handley First School and Nursery last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Sixpenny Handley First School and Nursery, 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 Sixpenny Handley First School and Nursery?
- Sixpenny Handley First School and Nursery has 73 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 9.
- Is Sixpenny Handley First School and Nursery full?
- Sixpenny Handley First School and Nursery has capacity for 125 pupils and 73 on roll (58%), 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 Sixpenny Handley First School and Nursery a faith school?
- No. Sixpenny Handley First School and Nursery has no designated religious character.
- Does Sixpenny Handley First School and Nursery have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Sixpenny Handley First School and Nursery as having nursery classes.
- Who runs Sixpenny Handley First School and Nursery?
- Sixpenny Handley First School and Nursery is part of THE HEATH ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What is Sixpenny Handley First School and Nursery's absence rate?
- Sixpenny Handley First School and Nursery's overall absence rate is 3.3% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- Does Sixpenny Handley First School and Nursery publish exam results?
- OfferDay shows exam results for a school only where the Department for Education has published them, and none are shown for Sixpenny Handley First School and Nursery. That is usual for infant, nursery, special and independent schools, and for schools without recent published results.
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.