School Chooser

Winsham Primary School

Primary · ages 2-11MixedAcademyChurch of England22 pupilsNurserySomerset
School Chooser Score
10
Well below
similar schools
Likely range 4 to 27, so it could be “below”
Out of 100. Better than 18% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, November 2023
Attendance92.8%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families10%Far fewer than most schools
Places35 spare22 pupils, 57 places
Pupils per teacher10.0School workforce census
Pupils on roll22Census January 2026

Winsham Primary School is a sponsored academy in Near Chard for boys and girls aged 2 to 11. It has 22 pupils and room for 57. About 10 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 10 out of 100. That puts it well below schools like it, ahead of 18% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.

Church Street, Winsham, Near Chard, TA20 4HU0146030377winshamprimaryschool.co.ukMrs Cara Gilmour-White headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 1 November 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall.

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”
Good
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

4 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
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure2025202420232018†2017†2016†SomersetEngland
Pupils tested454334

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 Winsham Primary School, the school this one replaced in August 2019. 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 places30 pupils for 57 places, 2024/25
53% full

27 places were empty (47% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have grown by 15% since 2021/22.

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 roll22Census January 2026
Places5739% full
Pupils from low-income families9%10% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English0%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support14%3 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan5%1 pupil with a plan
Average class size7.33 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)16%£7,750 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls9 / 13
White British pupils96%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 12.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 8.0 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Moderate learning difficulty (2), language and communications needs (2).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll224041444533
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals9%15%20%9%13%12%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language0%0%0%0%0%0%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support10%12%5%7%6%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans5%5%0%2%3%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 92.8% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance92.8%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school10.4%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils12.52024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission0.5%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19†England
Sessions missedOverall absence7.3%8.9%7.7%7.5%2.0%3.6%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence6.7%8.5%7.4%6.7%1.6%3.5%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.5%0.4%0.3%0.8%0.4%0.2%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence10.4%19.2%24.0%11.1%0.0%7.1%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate12.50.00.00.03.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

† These attendance figures are for Winsham Primary School, the school this one replaced in August 2019. 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.

Teachers2.1full-time equivalent, 3 people
Pupils per teacher10.0Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants0.9full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£32,916
Teachers who left in the year66%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0

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£12,154England £7,128. Total £474k
Income per pupil£12,872England £7,587. Total £502k
Spent on teachers per pupil£4,308England £3,405
Money in reserve5%Not much put by: £23k, £590 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£28kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£12,154spent 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 m1512 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate30 per 1,000 people67% lower than the England average
Nearest bus stop20 mChurch Street School, 4 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
Thorncombe, St Mary's Church of England Primary AcademyAcademy1.8 miles34Requires improvement 20230Compare
Tatworth Primary SchoolAcademy2.9 miles196Good 202248Compare
Avishayes Community Primary SchoolAcademy3.1 miles199No overall grade 20245Compare
Manor Court Community Primary SchoolAcademy3.5 miles448Good 201960Compare
The Redstart Primary SchoolAcademy3.8 miles444Good 202073Compare
St Andrew's CofE Primary AcademyAcademy4.1 miles120Requires improvement 20241Compare
Marshwood CofE Primary AcademyAcademy4.2 miles43Requires improvement 20242Compare
Maiden Beech AcademyAcademy4.2 miles102Report card 202610Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Winsham Primary School with the 40 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 40 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats18%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the bottom quarter of its group. Its score of 10 is 50 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 0 · middle 60 · highest 98100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 10 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 10% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 4 to 27. 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%in line
+0.03
Ofsted grade, 2.9 years old
Progress pupils make0%no data
Direction of travel over five years10%well below
-0.65
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%in line
-0.06
2024/25; 29 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 Winsham Primary School a good school?

The figures are weak. Winsham Primary School scores 10 out of 100. That is well below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 18% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 4 to 27, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Winsham Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Winsham Primary School good at its last full inspection on 1 November 2023.

How many pupils does Winsham Primary School have?

22 pupils aged 2 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 57 places, so it is 39% full.

Is Winsham Primary School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 27 places were empty in 2024/25 (47% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Winsham Primary School?

Pupils were in school 92.8% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 10% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Winsham Primary School?

The average class had 7.3 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 Street, Winsham, Near Chard, TA20 4HU
Telephone
0146030377
Website
www.winshamprimaryschool.co.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Cara Gilmour-White
Type of school
Sponsored academy (Academy sponsor led, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 2-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England
Multi-academy trust
The Academies for Character and Excellence (20 schools)
Local authority
Somerset
Ward
Ilminster
Constituency
Yeovil
Setting
Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
Opened
1 August 2019 (new provision)
URN
147024 · LAESTAB 9332042 · UKPRN 10083669
Formerly
Winsham Primary School

Where these figures come from