School Chooser

Shepton Beauchamp Church School

Primary · ages 4-11MixedAcademyChurch of England23 pupils Free breakfast clubIlminsterSomerset
School Chooser Score
40
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 16 to 73, so it could be “below”
Out of 100. Better than 62% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedNo overall gradeLast Ofsted inspection, November 2024
Reached the expected level at 1143%England 63%
Attendance94.7%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families17%Far fewer than most schools
Places49 spare23 pupils, 72 places
Pupils per teacher7.7School workforce census

Shepton Beauchamp Church School is a sponsored academy in Ilminster for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 23 pupils and room for 72. About 17 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 41 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 62% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2024, no overall grade.

Church Street, Shepton Beauchamp, Ilminster, TA19 0LQ01460 240793Mr Connel Boyle headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 19 November 2024, 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”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Outstanding
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

7 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 1143%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level14%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score99.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score100.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure2025202420232019†2016†SomersetEngland
Pupils tested71512
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths43%60%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths14%7%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score99.0105.1105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score100.0103.7104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score99.0104.5105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard57%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard57%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)43%

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.

† These results are for Shepton Beauchamp Church of England Primary School, the school this one replaced in April 2020. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

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 places24 pupils for 72 places, 2024/25
33% full

48 places were empty (67% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 31% 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 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 roll23Census January 2026
Places7232% full
Pupils from low-income families17%17% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English0%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support4%1 pupil with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan9%2 pupils with a plan
Average class size11.52 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)14%£4,650 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls10 / 13
White British pupils91%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Other difficulty or disability (1), emotional and mental health (1), language and communications needs (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll232425323539
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals17%21%20%25%26%18%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language0%0%0%0%0%0%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support13%8%13%17%5%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans13%12%6%9%8%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.7% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance94.7%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school23.1%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils8.32024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.5%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19†England
Sessions missedOverall absence5.3%5.5%4.8%5.6%2.0%5.3%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.8%5.0%4.2%5.3%1.7%4.4%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.5%0.5%0.6%0.3%0.2%0.9%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence23.1%8.3%15.2%16.7%5.1%11.4%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate8.34.09.45.75.1
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

† These attendance figures are for Shepton Beauchamp Church of England Primary School, the school this one replaced in April 2020. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Staff and money

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

Teachers3.0full-time equivalent, 5 people
Pupils per teacher7.7Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants1.5full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£56,688
Teachers who left in the year67%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies1
Sick days per teacher0.62024/25

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.

Spend per pupil£14,042England £7,128. Total £337k
Income per pupil£14,708England £7,587. Total £353k
Spent on teachers per pupil£7,708England £3,405
Money in reserve39%A lot put by: £137k, £5,717 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£16kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£14,042spent 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 m2212 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate60 per 1,000 people34% lower than the England average
Nearest bus stop150 mDuke of York, 6 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
South Petherton Church of England Infants and Pre SchoolChurch of England1.9 miles102No overall grade 202449Compare
South Petherton Junior SchoolCouncil2.1 miles156No overall grade 202561Compare
Kingsbury Episcopi Primary SchoolCouncil2.3 miles119Good 202364Compare
Hambridge Community Primary SchoolAcademy2.6 miles104Good 202383Compare
Hinton St George Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England3.0 miles90Good 202432Compare
Herne View Church of England PrimaryChurch of England3.1 miles401Good 202213Compare
St Mary's & St Peter's Church SchoolAcademy3.1 miles29No overall grade 20247Compare
Merriott Primary SchoolAcademy3.6 miles126Good 20234Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Shepton Beauchamp Church School with the 42 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 42 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats62%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the upper half of its group. Its score of 41 is 10 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 0 · middle 31 · highest 89100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 41 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 41% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 16 to 73. 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 atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years0%no data
Ofsted inspection20%above
+0.32
Ofsted grade, 1.8 years old
Progress pupils make0%no data
Direction of travel over five years10%well below
-0.33
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%below
-0.11
2024/25; 26 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 Shepton Beauchamp Church School a good school?

It is about average. Shepton Beauchamp Church School scores 41 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 62% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 16 to 73, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Shepton Beauchamp Church School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Shepton Beauchamp Church School not judged at its last full inspection on 19 November 2024.

How good are Shepton Beauchamp Church School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 43% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 14% went further and reached the higher level. The year group was small, so the percentages jump around a lot from year to year.

How many pupils does Shepton Beauchamp Church School have?

23 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 72 places, so it is 32% full.

Is Shepton Beauchamp Church School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 48 places were empty in 2024/25 (67% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Shepton Beauchamp Church School?

Pupils were in school 94.7% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 23% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Shepton Beauchamp Church School?

The average class had 11.5 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

Does Shepton Beauchamp Church School have a breakfast club?

Yes. It is on the government's free breakfast club programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school.

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

Contact and details

Address
Church Street, Shepton Beauchamp, Ilminster, TA19 0LQ
Telephone
01460 240793
Headteacher
Mr Connel Boyle
Free breakfast club
Yes: on the government's programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school (listed since September 2026).
Type of school
Sponsored academy (Academy sponsor led, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England, Diocese of Bath and Wells
Multi-academy trust
The Bath and Wells Diocesan Academies Trust (46 schools)
Local authority
Somerset
Ward
South Petherton & Islemoor
Constituency
Yeovil
Setting
Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
Opened
1 April 2020 (new provision)
URN
147523 · LAESTAB 9332049 · UKPRN 10084553
Formerly
Shepton Beauchamp Church of England Primary School

Where these figures come from