Rode Methodist VC First School
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Rode Methodist VC First School is a Methodist school (voluntary controlled) in Frome for boys and girls aged 4 to 9. It has 75 pupils and room for 90. About 11 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 76 out of 100. That puts it above schools like it, ahead of 86% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.
High Street, Rode, Frome, BA11 6NZ01373 830523rodeandnortonschoolfederation.co.ukMrs Georgina Muxworthy headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
A shorter visit on 13 March 2023 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Good overall. A shorter follow-up visit found nothing to change that. The last full inspection was before September 2019, which is as far back as Ofsted's public records go, so we can't show its date or the grades for each area.
Results
No published results yet for this school.
Getting a place
Admissions policy not published. As a Methodist school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.
18 places were empty (20% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.
The last child to get a place lived 4.2 miles away in 2026, 4.2 miles away in 2023. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils, faith and other priority groups are placed first. After that, the closer you live, the better your chances. Type in your postcode to see how far away you are.
We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.
How places were given out for September 2026. More children applied than there were places. The last place went to a child living 4.2 miles from the school. Living closer than that didn't guarantee a place, but living much further away meant missing out that year.
| Entry | Places | Applied at all | Got a place | How far the last child lived | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Primary | 18 | 44 | 18 | 4.2 miles | LA |
| 2023 Primary | 18 | 41 | 18 | 4.2 miles | LA |
The distances are the council's own, usually measured in a straight line from home to the school gate. If the distance is getting shorter each year, the school is getting harder to get into. See which councils we have this data for.
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.
Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 14.7 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 15.5 (England 27.3).
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (5), Moderate learning difficulty (2), language and communications needs (2), Other difficulty or disability (1), Specific learning difficulty (1).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 75 | 69 | 70 | 69 | 68 | 62 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 11% | 10% | 10% | 12% | 10% | 13% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 5% | 4% | 4% | 6% | 0% | 0% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 13% | 14% | 12% | 6% | 2% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 2% | 3% | 3% | 4% | 5% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 96.8% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 3.2% | 4.5% | 5.0% | 5.0% | 2.4% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 2.5% | 3.3% | 4.0% | 3.8% | 1.4% | 3.8% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 0.8% | 1.2% | 1.0% | 1.2% | 1.1% | 1.0% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 0.0% | 7.3% | 13.8% | 12.7% | 5.4% | 10.8% | 12.8% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 1.5 | 1.4 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 1.6 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
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.
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
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.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beckington Church First School | Academy | 1.3 miles | 78 | Report card 2026 | 44 | Compare |
| Norton St Philip Church of England First School | Church of England | 2.3 miles | 55 | Good 2022 | 58 | Compare |
| Southwick Church of England Primary School | Academy | 2.3 miles | 178 | Good 2022 | 46 | Compare |
| Berkley Church of England First School | Church of England | 2.7 miles | 49 | Report card 2026 | 8 | Compare |
| Studley Green Primary School | Academy | 3.1 miles | 211 | Good 2021 | 8 | Compare |
| The Grove Primary School | Academy | 3.3 miles | 378 | Not inspected | 66 | Compare |
| North Bradley CofE Primary School | Academy | 3.3 miles | 206 | Good 2021 | 28 | Compare |
| Selwood Academy | Academy | 3.3 miles | 658 | Good 2022 | 45 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares Rode Methodist VC First 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.
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 76 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 76% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 48 to 90. That range is wide enough that the school could sit in the next band, so take the band as a rough guide rather than a verdict. 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 at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 0% | no data | – | |
| Ofsted inspection | 19% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old) | in line | +0.02 | Ofsted grade, 3.5 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 0% | no data | – | |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | in line | -0.01 | results and attendance falling year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | well above | +0.32 | 2024/25; 62 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 0% | no data | – | |
| What parents say | 0% | 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 Rode Methodist VC First School a good school?
Yes, going by the figures. Rode Methodist VC First School scores 76 out of 100. That is above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 86% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 48 to 90, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.
What is Rode Methodist VC First School's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Rode Methodist VC First School good at its last full inspection on 13 March 2023.
How many pupils does Rode Methodist VC First School have?
75 pupils aged 4 to 9 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 90 places, so it is 83% full.
Is Rode Methodist VC First School oversubscribed, and how far away can you live?
Yes. For September 2026 the last place went to a child living 4.2 miles away. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils and other priority groups come before distance, so the cut-off moves every year.
What is attendance like at Rode Methodist VC First School?
Pupils were in school 96.8% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 0% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at Rode Methodist VC First School?
The average class had 15.0 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
- High Street, Rode, Frome, BA11 6NZ
- Telephone
- 01373 830523
- Website
- www.rodeandnortonschoolfederation.co.uk
- Headteacher
- Mrs Georgina Muxworthy
- Type of school
- Methodist school (voluntary controlled) (Voluntary controlled school, local authority maintained schools)
- Phase
- Primary school, ages 4-9
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Methodist
- Local authority
- Somerset
- Ward
- Frome North
- Constituency
- Frome and East Somerset
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- URN
- 123823 · LAESTAB 9333287 · UKPRN 10078789
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, consistent financial reporting 2024/25.
- Admissions outcomes: Somerset council's published allocation statistics (source), entry years 2023, 2026.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.