St Andrew's Church of England Primary School
West Street, Fontmell Magna, Shaftesbury, SP7 0PF
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- SHERBORNE AREA SCHOOLS' TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Matthew Barge
- Diocese
- Diocese of Salisbury
- Constituency
- North Dorset
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 175
- Pupils on roll
- 101
- URN
- 144951
- Local authority
- Dorset
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01747811500
About this school
St Andrew's Church of England Primary School is a Church of England primary academy in Shaftesbury. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 101 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
Ofsted did not give an overall grade. Between September 2024 and September 2025 inspections graded each area of a school's work without a single overall judgement, ahead of the move to report cards. 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 | 10 | 15 | 5 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 70% | 80% | - |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 20% | 0% | - |
| Expected standard in reading | 90% | 93% | - |
| Expected standard in maths | 90% | 87% | - |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 90% | 93% | - |
| Average scaled score in reading | 108.0 | 107.0 | - |
| Average scaled score in maths | 107.0 | 106.0 | - |
| Reading progress | +5.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +2.90 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +5.50 | - | - |
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 St Andrew's 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 | 70% | 53.5% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 80% | 53.3% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | — | 54.4% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 84 |
| 2023/24 | 81 |
| 2024/25 | 81 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Andrew's Church of England Primary School compares
Its absence rate was lower than 38% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 6.1% | 23.5% | 101 | — |
| St Nicholas Church of England Primary School, Child Okeford | 43% | 5.7% | 16.5% | 125 | 3.5 miles |
| The Abbey CofE VA Primary School, Shaftesbury | 62% | 5.4% | 14.1% | 201 | 3.6 miles |
| Shaftesbury Church of England Primary School | 44% | 6% | 28.4% | 333 | 4.2 miles |
| Ludwell Primary School | 35% | 3.8% | 18.5% | 89 | 4.3 miles |
| Shillingstone Church of England Primary School | 67% | 3.5% | 23.3% | 103 | 4.5 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)
- 23.46%
- English as an additional language
- 2.5%
- Overall absence
- 6.09%
- Persistent absence
- 21.54%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Nicholas Church of England Primary School, Child Okeford3.5 miles
Primary · Blandford Forum
-
The Abbey CofE VA Primary School, Shaftesbury3.6 miles
Primary · Shaftesbury
-
Shaftesbury Church of England Primary School4.2 miles
Primary · Shaftesbury
-
Ludwell Primary School4.3 miles
Primary · Shaftesbury
-
Shillingstone Church of England Primary School4.5 miles
Primary · Blandford Forum
Other schools in Shaftesbury
- Ludwell Primary School Primary
- Motcombe CofE Primary School Primary
- Semley Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Primary
- Shaftesbury 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 year groups does St Andrew's Church of England Primary School teach?
- St Andrew's Church of England Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Shaftesbury.
- Who is the headteacher of St Andrew's Church of England Primary School?
- The headteacher of St Andrew's Church of England Primary School is Mr Matthew Barge, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Andrew's Church of England Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Andrew's 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 big is St Andrew's Church of England Primary School?
- St Andrew's Church of England Primary School has 101 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is St Andrew's Church of England Primary School full?
- St Andrew's Church of England Primary School has capacity for 175 pupils and 101 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 St Andrew's Church of England Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. St Andrew's Church of England Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Salisbury.
- Does St Andrew's Church of England Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records St Andrew's Church of England Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- Who runs St Andrew's Church of England Primary School?
- St Andrew's 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 St Andrew's 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 70% in 2022/23 and 80% in 2023/24. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- What is St Andrew's Church of England Primary School's absence rate?
- St Andrew's Church of England Primary School's overall absence rate is 6.1% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Andrew's Church of England Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Andrew's 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.