Heytesbury Church of England Primary School

About Heytesbury Church of England Primary School

Heytesbury Church of England Primary School is a small state primary in Wiltshire, currently educating just 40 pupils against a capacity of 90, meaning it operates at under half its potential size. This is a notably intimate setting, even for a rural village school. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals stands at 5%, which is well below the national average and suggests a relatively affluent local intake. Despite the spare capacity, the school was oversubscribed for the 2025/26 academic year, receiving 7 applications for its 6 available places, with all 6 first-preference applicants offered a spot. That oversubscription ratio of 1.17 indicates a modest but genuine local demand, likely from families who value its Church of England character and the close-knit feel that comes with such a small roll. The school is led by headteacher Lindsey Hermon.

Academically, Heytesbury has shown clear improvement. In its most recent Ofsted inspection in June 2025, the school was rated Good across all key areas — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, early years provision, and leadership and management. This marks a significant step up from its previous inspection in March 2023, when it was judged Requires Improvement overall, with the quality of education and early years provision both rated as requiring improvement. At Key Stage 2 in the 2023/24 academic year, 64% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined. That is above the Wiltshire local authority average of 58% and places the school 60th out of 201 primary schools in the county. Individual subject scores were solid: a maths average scaled score of 103, reading at 102, and notably 75% of pupils met the expected standard in writing. Higher-attaining pupils were less common, with no pupils reaching the higher standard in reading, writing and maths combined.

The school offers a practical range of facilities including a sensory room, art studios, a library, outdoor playground, playing fields, sports hall and a chapel. Sports provision covers swimming, athletics, dance, tennis, netball and cross country, while extracurricular clubs include coding, choir and art club. For families with children who have additional needs, the school lists support for specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, and speech, language and communication needs. Given its small size and rural Wiltshire location, Heytesbury is best suited to families who want a tight-knit, community-focused primary with a Church of England ethos, and who are comfortable with a school where class sizes are very small. The oversubscription suggests it is a popular choice locally, but the significant spare capacity overall means there is unlikely to be intense competition for places beyond the immediate catchment.

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