School Chooser

Paulton Junior School

Primary · ages 7-11MixedCouncil238 pupilsBath and North East Somerset
School Chooser Score
16
Below
similar schools
Likely range 9 to 28
Out of 100. Better than 10% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedNo overall gradeLast Ofsted inspection, March 2025
Reached the expected level at 1158%England 63%
Attendance95.7%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families19%A bit fewer than most schools
Places122 spare238 pupils, 360 places
Pupils per teacher18.0School workforce census

Paulton Junior School is a council school in Paulton for boys and girls aged 7 to 11. It has 238 pupils and room for 360. About 19 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit fewer than at most schools. We give it 16 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 10% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2025, no overall grade.

Plumptre Close, Paulton, BS39 7QY01761 418137paultonjuniorschool.co.ukMrs Sally Rawlings headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 4 March 2025, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Not judged Between September 2024 and November 2025, Ofsted graded each area but stopped giving one overall word.

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
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

69 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1158%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level4%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score104.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score103.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 72%72%20172018: 67%67%20182019: 82%82%20192023: 69%69%20232024: 56%56%20242025: 58%58%2025
Since 2017: -14%Declining overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017Bath and North East SomersetEngland
Pupils tested697372626665
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths58%56%69%82%67%72%63%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths4%3%10%23%8%3%8%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score104.0104.0105.0107.0104.0106.0106.0105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score103.0103.0104.0107.0102.0105.0104.5104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score104.0104.0106.0109.0104.0107.0104.8105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard71%74%76%82%73%82%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard74%73%76%94%76%89%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)68%67%82%94%83%82%
Reading progressReading progress score-0.1+1.7+0.0+0.5
Maths progressMaths progress score+0.6+1.3-0.9+0.3
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged33%39%54%63%33%50%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged63%62%73%89%74%77%

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.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 1 of the 3 gaps is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
33%63%
Gap 30 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
51%68%
Gap 17 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%4%
Gap 4 ptsEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Plenty of spare places254 pupils for 360 places, 2024/25
71% full

106 places were empty (29% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 18% 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 Bath and North East Somerset 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 roll238Census January 2026
Places36066% full
Pupils from low-income families19%19% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English8%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support15%36 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan3%8 pupils with a plan
Average class size30.34 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils50%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)19%£69,750 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls109 / 129
White British pupils87%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (16), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (11), emotional and mental health (8), Autistic spectrum disorder (4), Other difficulty or disability (2), Specific learning difficulty (2).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll238257267277312314
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals19%20%22%19%17%17%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language8%8%7%5%4%4%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support18%19%18%15%20%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans2%2%3%2%1%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.7% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance95.7%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school8.7%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils3.52024/25, 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 absence4.3%4.8%4.7%5.8%2.2%3.1%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.3%3.5%3.9%5.0%1.7%2.3%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.0%1.2%0.8%0.9%0.5%0.7%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence8.7%9.0%8.0%14.2%1.6%2.4%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate3.54.11.81.32.6
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers13.2full-time equivalent, 20 people
Pupils per teacher18.0Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants4.0full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£51,064
Teachers who left in the year11%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher3.42024/25

Money

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

Spend per pupil£6,026England £7,738. Total £1.5m
Income per pupil£6,079England £7,697. Total £1.6m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,747England £3,480
Money in reserve5%Not much put by: £79k, £307 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out+£14kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£6,026spent per pupil

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 m19012 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate55 per 1,000 people40% lower than the England average
Typical house price£400,000Bath and North East Somerset
Nearest bus stop100 mElm Road, 23 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
Paulton Infant SchoolAcademy0 m148Good 202379Compare
High Littleton CofE VC Primary SchoolAcademy1.2 miles184No overall grade 202593Compare
Farrington Gurney Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy1.2 miles84Not inspected50Compare
Longvernal Primary SchoolAcademy1.3 miles203Good 202385Compare
Midsomer Norton Primary SchoolAcademy1.5 miles256Report card 202652Compare
St John's CofE Primary SchoolAcademy1.5 miles382Good 202358Compare
Welton Primary SchoolAcademy1.5 miles160Not inspected27Compare
Westfield Primary SchoolAcademy2.0 miles358Good 202386Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Paulton Junior School with the 49 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 49 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats10%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the bottom quarter of its group. Its score of 16 is 32 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 5 · middle 49 · highest 89100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 16 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 16% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 9 to 28. 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 years25%in line
-0.06
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 69 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%well below
-0.34
Ofsted grade, 1.5 years old
Progress pupils make20%in line
+0.01
DfE progress measure; 69 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%below
-0.10
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%above
+0.06
2024/25; 264 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%below
-0.06
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 69 pupils
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 Paulton Junior School a good school?

The figures are weak. Paulton Junior School scores 16 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 10% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 9 to 28, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Paulton Junior School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Paulton Junior School not judged at its last full inspection on 4 March 2025.

How good are Paulton Junior School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 58% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 4% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Paulton Junior School have?

238 pupils aged 7 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 360 places, so it is 66% full.

Is Paulton Junior School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 106 places were empty in 2024/25 (29% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Paulton Junior School?

Pupils were in school 95.7% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 9% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Paulton Junior School?

The average class had 30.3 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 50% of classes 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
Plumptre Close, Paulton, BS39 7QY
Telephone
01761 418137
Website
www.paultonjuniorschool.co.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Sally Rawlings
Type of school
Council school (Community school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 7-11
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Bath and North East Somerset
Ward
Paulton
Constituency
North East Somerset and Hanham
Setting
Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
109089 · LAESTAB 8002270 · UKPRN 10079860

Where these figures come from