A Melksham school has said it is ‘delighted’ with a recent Ofsted rating that saw it improve its performance in all areas.
The Manor Church of England Primary School in Melksham has been rated ‘Good’ in all areas following an inspection carried out on April 23 and 24, 2025.
Now, however, Ofsted has rated The Manor as ‘Good’ in all categories: quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; leadership and management and early years provision.
The report praises “a tangible sense of aspiration and ambition at The Manor”, noting that pupils’ achievements are improving and new leaders have “completely overhauled the curriculum to meet the needs of pupils”.
The report described pupils as “friendly and polite”, with the report reflecting that “pupils behave well and the classroom environment is calm and purposeful.”
In the preceding 2022 inspection of the primary school, which is part of The White Horse Federation, was previously rated ‘Requires Improvement’ overall, with the same rating applied to quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, and leadership and management.
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The previous report found some pupils do not behave well enough, and this can result in the disruption of other pupils’ learning, as well as playtimes sometimes feeling they are less safe than they should have.
Inspectors had also found pupils with special educational needs did not always receive the support they need, and that many pupils failed to recall the curriculum.
In their latest report, however, Ofsted credited the school with addressing these issues, and that it had “considerably” improved its behaviour policy, and that staff celebrated pupil achievement.
Additionally, support for students with SEND improved, with pupils being given individual plans to match their specific needs and pupils with SEND progress through the curriculum successfully and participate fully in school life.
It also found as part of its curriculum overhaul, the school had developed a “sharp focus” on the reading curriculum, allowing pupils to build knowledge over time.
The school is also now reportedly analysing patterns of pupil absence and that school attendance had risen sharply as a consequence.
The report also found pupils benefit from a wide range of cultural experiences, and that they enjoyed coming to school.
The report did highlight one area for improvement, finding that in a few subjects, what is known about pupils’ learning is not used effectively to make necessary adaptations to the curriculum.
Responding to the positive results, Manor Primary School’s head teacher Michael Park said: “We are thrilled that this report reflects the caring and ambitious nature of our school.
“Thank you to all our pupils and their parents and all our staff; your hard work and dedication make all the difference.
“We look forward to continuing to work together to provide the best support for all pupils."
The Manor Primary School is part of the White Horse Federation of schools a multi-academy trust made up of multiple schools at different levels.
Simon Cowley, director of education at The White Horse Federation, said: “Congratulations to everyone at The Manor. It is brilliant to see that this report reflects the significant progress the school has made. You should all be very proud.
“We will continue to support our colleagues’ unwavering ambition to deliver the best learning experience possible for every child.”
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