Malmesbury School

About Malmesbury School

Malmesbury School is a large, mixed secondary in Wiltshire that is currently running well above its official capacity, with 1,465 pupils on roll against a stated capacity of 1,384. This oversubscription is reflected in its admissions data for the 2025/26 intake: the school received 321 total applications for 231 places, with 226 of those coming as first preferences. The oversubscription ratio sits at 1.39, meaning nearly four in ten applicants miss out on a place. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is 13.8 per cent, which is broadly in line with the national average for secondary schools and suggests a genuinely mixed catchment. The school has no religious character and is a standard state comprehensive, so its popularity appears to rest squarely on its academic reputation and local standing rather than any selective or faith-based admissions criteria.

Academically, Malmesbury is one of the strongest non-selective schools in the South West. Its Progress 8 score of 0.34 is well above the Wiltshire local authority average of -0.01, placing it 6th out of 26 schools in the county and in the top 25 per cent nationally. The Attainment 8 score of 51.8 is solid, and 74.1 per cent of pupils achieved a grade 4 or above in both English and maths. The school’s EBacc entry rate is 36.1 per cent, with 28.9 per cent achieving the full EBacc at a grade 4 or above. At A-level, the school’s value-added score of 0.15 is rated as above average, with an average points per entry of 36.21, equivalent to a B- grade. The most recent Ofsted inspection in March 2024 awarded Outstanding across every category — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and sixth-form provision — maintaining the same top grade it received in its previous inspection in 2012.

The school offers a broad range of facilities including a theatre, sports hall, gymnasium, tennis courts, playing fields, science labs, music rooms, and a dedicated sixth form centre. Sports provision is extensive, with rowing, rugby, swimming, and athletics among the options, while extracurricular clubs include the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Model United Nations, and Young Enterprise. SEND provision is comprehensive, covering autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language needs, social and emotional mental health, and specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia. For families considering Malmesbury, the key takeaway is that this is a genuinely high-performing comprehensive that is heavily oversubscribed — getting a place is competitive, especially for those outside the immediate catchment. It suits families who want strong academic outcomes without selection, and who value a full range of extracurricular and SEND support within a large, well-resourced school.

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