St Osmund's Catholic Primary School, Salisbury

About St Osmund's Catholic Primary School, Salisbury

St Osmund's Catholic Primary School in Salisbury sits within the Wiltshire local authority, a county with 201 primary schools. In the most recent KS2 performance rankings, the school placed 84th out of 159 Wiltshire primaries, placing it in the bottom half of the authority. The top-performing peers in the area include Stanton St Quintin Primary and Nursery School, The Holy Trinity Church of England Primary Academy, and Sutton Veny CofE School, all of which achieved higher ranking scores. St Osmund's is a Roman Catholic state primary for mixed pupils aged 4 to 11, with a capacity of 210 and exactly that number on roll. Headteacher Richard Sanderson leads a school where 7.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, below the national average. The school is oversubscribed for 2025/26, receiving 72 applications for 30 places, with 40 of those as first preferences and 29 offers made to first-preference families.

In its most recent graded inspection in 2014, Ofsted rated the school Good overall, with Good ratings for leadership and management and early years provision. A subsequent ungraded inspection in March 2024 confirmed the school remains Good. This marks a clear improvement from the previous graded inspection in 2013, when the school was rated Requires Improvement. At KS2 in 2023/24, 57% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, just below the Wiltshire local authority average of 58%. In individual subjects, 82% met the expected standard in reading, 71% in maths, and 61% in writing. Higher-standard attainment was strongest in reading and maths, with 46% of pupils achieving the higher standard in each, compared with 18% in writing and 18% across all three subjects. Average scores were 107 in reading and 106 in maths, both above the national benchmark of 100.

The school offers a range of facilities including playing fields, a forest school, library, outdoor playground and a chapel. Sports provision covers football, cricket, tennis, netball and gymnastics, while clubs include art, film, drama, coding and choir. SEND support is well-developed, with provisions for specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, moderate and profound multiple learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. With 30 places available and an oversubscription ratio of 2.4, the school is popular among local Catholic families and those seeking a faith-based primary in Salisbury. Its Good Ofsted rating, improving trajectory from Requires Improvement, and broad extracurricular offer make it a solid choice for families who prioritise a supportive, community-focused primary with strong SEND support and a clear Catholic character.

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