Sopley Primary School

New Forest · BH23 8ET

General information Primary School · 4-11 years Who goes here 71 pupils, 21.1% FSM

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 15.5% on SEN support Behaviour 6.6% absence rate Staff 31.7% turnover Financials £8,616 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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Sopley Primary School

General Information

Address: South Ripley, Bransgore, Christchurch, BH23 8ET – View on map
Phone: 01425672343
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mr Mathew Bowen
Age range: 4-11 years
Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 12 families put it first for 12 places – 10 for every 10 places. Every one of them was offered a place. 8 of the 12 places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 10 · 2024 10 · 2025 10 · 2026 10
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Does not apply
Nursery provision: No

Who goes here

71 pupils out of 118 places Plenty of room

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 15
% eligible for free school meals: 21.1%
Pupil mix: 3 in 10 (similar to the New Forest average)
English as an additional language: 4% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 31.7% a year (New Forest 14.6%, typical in England 13.9%)
Where they went: about 53% moved to another school, 47% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)

Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house. This is a small staff, so one or two teachers leaving moves the figure a lot.

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Across Hampshire: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 15 (0.1 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 0
Suspensions for bullying: 16 (0.2 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 0 (0.0 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.0)
Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)

These are figures for all state primary schools in Hampshire (the council area this school is in), not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.

Attendance

Overall absence: 6.6%
Persistently absent pupils: 20.0%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision

SEN Unit and Resourced Provision

Most mainstream schools don't have a dedicated SEN Unit or Resourced Provision - it isn't a mark against a school that doesn't, just a different kind of setup than one that does.

Pupils on SEN Support: 15.5%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 4.2%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Speech, language and communications needs: 5 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 3 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 2 pupils
Hearing impairment: 1 pupil

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Speech, language and communications needs: 2 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 1 pupil

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

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Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

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School Ethos

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Ability to Deal with Problems

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Headteacher Approval

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SafeguardingSafeguarding (parent rating)How parents rate the school on keeping children safe - how safe their child feels, and how well concerns are listened to and acted on. It's parents' experience, not an inspection result; Ofsted checks safeguarding separately.

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Wraparound CareWraparound Care (parent rating)How parents rate the school's breakfast and after-school clubs - availability, cost and quality. Only asked for infant, junior and primary schools, where it matters most for working parents.

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Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

Good 2024 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted changed how it rates schools in the last couple of years, so ratings from different years aren't always on the same scale - that's why we show the year alongside every rating.

Year 6 SATs results

Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 38% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 0% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: 28 percentage points below the New Forest average (66%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: Well below (3-year average 42% against an expected 61%)
3-year average (expected standard): 42%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 69% · Writing 85% · Maths 46% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 46%
Average test scores: reading 104, maths 99
Based on: 13 Year 6 pupils, 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's SATs results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

SATs results over time

This schoolNew Forest averageEngland↘ Falling Down 22 percentage points since 2022/23. In 2024/25 this school was 28 percentage points below the New Forest average (66%).

Year 6 SATs: 35th of 35 junior and primary schools in the area

=32Hyde Church of England Primary School50%
#34Pennington Church of England Primary School48%
#35Sopley Primary School38%

Click to see the full ranking

Year 6 SATs ranking

Junior and primary schools in this area, ranked by the % of Year 6 pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (official DfE results, 2024/25). Schools with the same result share a place (shown as =). In small schools one or two children can move a school several places, so treat close positions as roughly equal.

Rank School Score

#1Our Lady and St Joseph Catholic Primary School - the Learning Federation Partnership of Schools93%
#2Breamore Church of England Primary School83%
#3St Luke's Church of England Primary School82%
=4Brockenhurst Church of England Primary School & Pre-School81%
=4Lymington Junior School81%
#6Hordle CofE (VA) Primary School76%
#7Wildground Junior School75%
#8Cadland Primary School73%
#9Oakfield Academy71%
=10Bransgore Church of England Primary School70%
=10Marchwood Junior School70%
#12Hale Primary School69%
=13Foxhills Junior School68%
=13New Milton Junior School68%
=13Poulner Junior School68%
#16Blackfield Primary and Nursery School66%
#17Western Downland Church of England Aided Primary School65%
=18Orchard Junior School64%
=18Tiptoe Primary School64%
#20Beaulieu Village Primary School63%
=21Bartley Church of England Junior School62%
=21Fordingbridge Junior School62%
=21Hythe Primary School62%
=21Milford-on-Sea Church of England Primary School62%
=21Ringwood Junior School62%
#26Abbotswood Junior School60%
=27Calmore Junior School58%
=27William Gilpin Church of England Primary School58%
#29Waterside Primary School57%
=30Ashley Junior School56%
=30South Baddesley Church of England Primary School & Nursery56%
=32Burley Primary School50%
=32Hyde Church of England Primary School50%
#34Pennington Church of England Primary School48%
#35Sopley Primary School38%

View full Ofsted inspection report

12th of 15 primary schools in New Forest for Ofsted rating

#10Oakfield AcademyGood
#11Pennington Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#12Sopley Primary SchoolGood
#13South Baddesley Church of England Primary School & NurseryGood
#14Tiptoe Primary SchoolGood

Click to see the full ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Based on real Ofsted ratings (via official DfE data) for schools on the same four-word grading scale.

Rank School Score

#1Hordle CofE (VA) Primary SchoolOutstanding
#2Our Lady and St Joseph Catholic Primary School - the Learning Federation Partnership of SchoolsOutstanding
#3St Luke's Church of England Primary SchoolOutstanding
#4Blackfield Primary and Nursery SchoolGood
#5Brockenhurst Church of England Primary School & Pre-SchoolGood
#6Cadland Primary SchoolGood
#7Hale Primary SchoolGood
#8Hyde Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#9Hythe Primary SchoolGood
#10Oakfield AcademyGood
#11Pennington Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#12Sopley Primary SchoolGood
#13South Baddesley Church of England Primary School & NurseryGood
#14Tiptoe Primary SchoolGood
#15Western Downland Church of England Aided Primary SchoolGood

Financials

Spending per pupil: £8,616 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

6th of 22 primary schools in New Forest for spending per pupil

#4Breamore Church of England Primary School£9,961
#5Pennington Church of England Primary School£9,476
#6Sopley Primary School£8,616
#7Burley Primary School£8,274
#8Hale Primary School£8,152

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

Rank School Score

#1Hyde Church of England Primary School£11,535
#2William Gilpin Church of England Primary School£10,727
#3Tiptoe Primary School£10,423
#4Breamore Church of England Primary School£9,961
#5Pennington Church of England Primary School£9,476
#6Sopley Primary School£8,616
#7Burley Primary School£8,274
#8Hale Primary School£8,152
#9South Baddesley Church of England Primary School & Nursery£8,147
#10Beaulieu Village Primary School£7,723
#11Waterside Primary School£7,623
#12Our Lady and St Joseph Catholic Primary School - the Learning Federation Partnership of Schools£7,609
#13Brockenhurst Church of England Primary School & Pre-School£7,387
#14Cadland Primary School£7,004
#15Hythe Primary School£6,795
#16Hordle CofE (VA) Primary School£6,793
#17Blackfield Primary and Nursery School£6,784
#18Oakfield Academy£6,679
#19Western Downland Church of England Aided Primary School£6,638
#20St Luke's Church of England Primary School£6,532
#21Bransgore Church of England Primary School£6,476
#22Milford-on-Sea Church of England Primary School£5,851

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

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