School Chooser

Christian Malford CofE Primary School

Primary · ages 2-11MixedAcademyChurch of England56 pupilsNurseryChippenhamWiltshire
School Chooser Score
0
Well below
similar schools
Likely range 0 to 1
Out of 100. Better than 0% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedRequires improvementLast Ofsted inspection, December 2023
Attendance92.6%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families15%Far fewer than most schools
Places64 spare56 pupils, 120 places
Pupils per teacher16.1School workforce census
Pupils on roll56Census January 2026

Christian Malford CofE Primary School is a converter academy in Chippenham for boys and girls aged 2 to 11. It has 56 pupils and room for 120. About 15 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 0 out of 100. That puts it well below schools like it, ahead of 0% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was requires improvement, back in 2023.

Church Road, Christian Malford, Chippenham, SN15 4BW01249 720496cmcea.org.ukMr Shaun Carter executive principalAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 5 December 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Requires improvement overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Requires improvement
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Requires improvement
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes
Earlier inspections (1)
DateTypeOutcome
25 November 2021UngradedSchool remains Good (Concerns) - S5 Next

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

2 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.

Reached the expected level at 11Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected levelOfficial name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading scoreOfficial name: Reading average scaled score
Maths scoreOfficial name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2023
2017: 50%50%20172018: 31%31%20182019: 33%33%20192023: 25%25%2023
Since 2017: -25%Declining overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017WiltshireEngland
Pupils tested21891312
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths25%33%31%50%60%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%22%0%17%8%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score106.0104.0101.0107.0105.4105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score96.0105.096.0103.0103.9104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score100.0105.0102.0105.0104.3105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard100%33%62%67%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard25%56%31%50%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)25%44%54%67%
Reading progressReading progress score+6.3-1.9-0.5+0.4
Maths progressMaths progress score-3.6-0.6-4.7-2.6

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published. As a Church of England school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

Plenty of spare places33 pupils for 120 places, 2024/25
28% full

87 places were empty (73% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 48% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Wiltshire council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll56Census January 2026
Places12047% full
Pupils from low-income families14%15% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English2%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support14%8 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan2%1 pupil with a plan
Average class size20.52 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)22%£13,950 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls30 / 26
White British pupils80%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 19.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 22.0 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Moderate learning difficulty (3), emotional and mental health (3), language and communications needs (2), Vision impairment (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll565245677589
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals14%17%16%16%13%9%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language2%0%0%2%1%1%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support12%7%13%17%16%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans0%2%2%1%1%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 92.6% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance92.6%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school25.9%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.0%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence7.4%6.6%8.3%5.0%3.2%9.3%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence6.3%4.5%4.3%3.8%3.1%8.6%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.0%2.1%4.0%1.2%0.2%0.7%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence25.9%20.7%16.0%9.4%10.2%17.1%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.00.00.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers3.4full-time equivalent, 7 people
Pupils per teacher16.1Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants2.9full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£51,910
Teachers who left in the year35%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher0.02024/25

Money

From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Money in reserve9%A healthy amount put by: £32k, £608 per pupil
Money in against money out+£48kit took in more than it spent this year

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m312 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate34 per 1,000 people63% lower than the England average
Typical house price£320,000Wiltshire
Nearest bus stop340 mWar Memorial, 3 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Sutton Benger Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy0.9 miles165Good 202380Compare
Seagry Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy1.6 miles29Good 202313Compare
Langley Fitzurse Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England2.6 miles104Good 202472Compare
Somerfords' Walter Powell CofE AcademyAcademy2.6 miles56Good 202452Compare
Stanton St Quintin Primary and Nursery SchoolCouncil3.5 miles72Good 202469Compare
St Paul's Primary SchoolCouncil3.6 miles175No overall grade 20259Compare
Kington St Michael Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England3.8 miles127No overall grade 202560Compare
Monkton Park Primary SchoolCouncil3.9 miles252Not inspected63Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Christian Malford CofE Primary School with the 50 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 50 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats0%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
Near the bottom of its group. Its score of 0 is 47 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 1 · middle 47 · highest 94100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 50 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Christian Malford CofE Primary School, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.

SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Kennet Valley Church of England Aided Primary SchoolChurch of England13.3 miles53Good 202031Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 0 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 0% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 0 to 1. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years0%no data
Ofsted inspection20%well below
-1.35
Ofsted grade, 2.8 years old
Progress pupils make0%no data
Direction of travel over five years10%well below
-0.53
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%below
-0.15
2024/25; 27 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils0%no data
What parents say0%no data

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Christian Malford CofE Primary School a good school?

The figures are weak. Christian Malford CofE Primary School scores 0 out of 100. That is well below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 0% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 0 to 1, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Christian Malford CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Christian Malford CofE Primary School requires improvement at its last full inspection on 5 December 2023.

How many pupils does Christian Malford CofE Primary School have?

56 pupils aged 2 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 120 places, so it is 47% full.

Is Christian Malford CofE Primary School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 87 places were empty in 2024/25 (73% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Christian Malford CofE Primary School?

Pupils were in school 92.6% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 26% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Christian Malford CofE Primary School?

The average class had 20.5 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Church Road, Christian Malford, Chippenham, SN15 4BW
Telephone
01249 720496
Website
www.cmcea.org.uk
Executive Principal
Mr Shaun Carter
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 2-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England, Diocese of Bristol
Multi-academy trust
The Blue Kite Academy Trust (25 schools)
Local authority
Wiltshire
Ward
Kington
Constituency
South Cotswolds
Setting
Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 December 2013 (academy converter)
URN
140454 · LAESTAB 8653038 · UKPRN 10044317
Formerly
Christian Malford CofE Primary School

Where these figures come from