Sherborne Abbey Church of England Primary School
Lenthay Road, Sherborne, DT9 6AQ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- SHERBORNE AREA SCHOOLS' TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Lisa Thompson
- Diocese
- Diocese of Salisbury
- Constituency
- West Dorset
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 420
- Pupils on roll
- 336
- URN
- 144414
- Local authority
- Dorset
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01935812318
About this school
Sherborne Abbey Church of England Primary School is a Church of England primary academy in Sherborne. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 336 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Sherborne Abbey Church of England 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 11 November 2021, 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 | 66 | 49 | 50 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 53% | 45% | 48% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 11% | 10% | 8% |
| Expected standard in reading | 64% | 73% | 60% |
| Expected standard in maths | 68% | 63% | 54% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 62% | 59% | 50% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 103.0 | 104.0 | 103.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 102.0 | 101.0 | 101.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +3.60 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.70 | - | - |
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 Sherborne Abbey Church of England 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 | 53% | 53.5% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 45% | 53.3% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 48% | 54.4% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 360 |
| 2023/24 | 344 |
| 2024/25 | 339 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Sherborne Abbey Church of England Primary School compares
Sherborne Abbey Church of England Primary School ranked 64th of 89 primary schools in Dorset for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 19% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 41% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 48% | 5.8% | 22.4% | 336 | — |
| Sherborne Primary School | 47% | 5.4% | 21% | 304 | 1.3 miles |
| Thornford CofE Primary School | 53% | 3.5% | 9.1% | 104 | 2.1 miles |
| St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Bradford Abbas | 44% | 4.1% | 6.7% | 90 | 2.8 miles |
| Trent Young's CofE Primary School | 95% | 3.8% | 6.2% | 143 | 2.9 miles |
| Primrose Lane Primary School | 69% | 4.6% | 12.3% | 252 | 3.6 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)
- 22.42%
- English as an additional language
- 7.1%
- Overall absence
- 5.81%
- Persistent absence
- 16.88%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Sherborne Primary School1.3 miles
Primary · Sherborne
-
Thornford CofE Primary School2.1 miles
Primary · Sherborne
-
St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Bradford Abbas2.8 miles
Primary · Sherborne
-
Trent Young's CofE Primary School2.9 miles
Primary · Sherborne
-
Primrose Lane Primary School3.6 miles
Primary · Yeovil
Other schools in Sherborne
Sherborne Abbey Church of England Primary School ranks 3rd of the 6 ranked primary schools in Sherborne.
- All Saints Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Primary
- Charlton Horethorne Church of England Primary School Primary
- Milborne Port Primary School Primary
- Sherborne Primary School Primary
- St Andrew's Church of England Primary School Primary
- St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Bradford Abbas Primary
- Thornford CofE Primary School Primary
- Trent Young's CofE Primary School Primary
- The Gryphon School Secondary
- Harbour Vale School Academies
- Leweston School Independent schools
- Sherborne Preparatory School Independent schools
Common questions
- What ages does Sherborne Abbey Church of England Primary School teach?
- Sherborne Abbey Church of England Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Sherborne.
- Who is the headteacher of Sherborne Abbey Church of England Primary School?
- The headteacher of Sherborne Abbey Church of England Primary School is Mrs Lisa Thompson, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Sherborne Abbey Church of England Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Sherborne Abbey Church of England 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 Sherborne Abbey Church of England Primary School?
- Sherborne Abbey Church of England Primary School has 336 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Sherborne Abbey Church of England Primary School full?
- Sherborne Abbey Church of England Primary School has capacity for 420 pupils and 336 on roll (80%), 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 Sherborne Abbey Church of England Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Sherborne Abbey Church of England Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Salisbury.
- Does Sherborne Abbey Church of England Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Sherborne Abbey Church of England Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- Is Sherborne Abbey Church of England Primary School part of an academy trust?
- Sherborne Abbey Church of England 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 Sherborne Abbey Church of England Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 53% in 2022/23 and 48% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Sherborne Abbey Church of England Primary School compare with other schools in Dorset?
- Sherborne Abbey Church of England Primary School ranked 64th of 89 primary schools in Dorset for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 19% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 41% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Sherborne Abbey Church of England Primary School's absence rate?
- Sherborne Abbey Church of England Primary School's overall absence rate is 5.8% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Sherborne Abbey Church of England Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Sherborne Abbey Church of England 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 10 July 2026.