Derry Hill Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

About Derry Hill Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

Derry Hill Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is a state primary in the Wiltshire local authority, serving 208 pupils aged 5 to 11. Within the county, it ranks 77th out of 159 primary schools on the key stage 2 expected standard measure, placing it in the bottom half of schools locally. The top-performing peers in Wiltshire include Stanton St Quintin Primary and Nursery School, The Holy Trinity Church of England Primary Academy, and Sutton Veny CofE School, all of which score significantly higher on the same metric. The school is oversubscribed for 2025/26, with 47 applications for 30 places and 28 first-preference offers made from 29 first-preference applications, suggesting strong local demand despite its middling ranking. Headteacher Hayley Roberts leads a Church of England school that, in its most recent Ofsted inspection in March 2024, was rated Requires Improvement overall, a notable drop from its previous Outstanding rating in 2012. The inspection found leadership and management and quality of education both require improvement, while behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and early years provision were all rated Good.

Academically, the school's key stage 2 results for 2023/24 show that 59% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths combined, just above the Wiltshire local authority average of 58%. However, only 10% reached the higher standard in these three subjects. In individual subjects, 69% met the expected standard in reading, 83% in writing, and 79% in maths, with average scores of 104 in both reading and maths. The school ranks in the bottom 50 nationally on the expected standard metric, at the 59th percentile among all primary schools. Progress scores are not available for any subject, so it is not possible to assess how much value the school adds relative to pupils' starting points. The Ofsted report noted that early years provision is Good, which may reassure parents of younger children, but the Requires Improvement rating for quality of education and leadership suggests the school is still working to address weaknesses identified by inspectors.

The school offers a range of facilities including a sensory room, library, dining hall, playing fields, sports hall, gymnasium, and chapel. Sports provision includes gymnastics, rounders, cricket, football, cross country, dance, and athletics, while clubs extend to drama, film club, eco club, book club, and choir. SEND support covers specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, hearing impairment, and other difficulties. With 9.1% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a relatively mixed catchment. Given its oversubscription and local demand, it clearly appeals to families who value its Church of England character and community feel, but parents should weigh the Requires Improvement rating and middling academic outcomes against the convenience of a local school with good behaviour and early years provision.

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