Ofsted: Good trending_up Places Available emoji_events #153 in Wiltshire public Top 93% UK

River Mead School

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMiss Louise Harrison

corporate_fareTHE MEAD ACADEMY TRUST

location_onMelksham, SN12 7ED

language Visit Website phone 1225703428

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2024

groups

Students

269

school

Expected Standard

38%

local_fire_department

Demand Ratio

1.0x

summarize

River Mead School is a Academy sponsor led primary school in Melksham, serving ages 2-11. Rated Good by Ofsted. Ranks in the top 93% of primary schools nationally.

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School Summary

River Mead School is an academy sponsor led in Melksham, Wiltshire, admitting pupils aged 2-11. It is part of THE MEAD ACADEMY TRUST. The school has approximately 281 pupils on roll, of whom 45% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, 38% of pupils met the expected standard in Reading, Writing and Maths combined, with 6% achieving the higher standard. The school ranks #153 of 174 primaries in Wiltshire and #13,088 of 14,143 nationally.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2024. The school's current overall rating is Good. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Good, behaviour and attitudes Good, personal development Good, and leadership and management Outstanding.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 1.0× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 13.1:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 1.8 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

school

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

2025

R/W/M Expected Standard

38%

LA 58%

Reading47% LA 73%

Writing50% LA 69%

Maths44% LA 71%

Read SS

102

Maths SS

100

GPS SS

100

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2024

R/W/M Expected Standard

41%

LA 57%England 61%

Reading56% LA 74% · Eng 74%

Writing53% LA 70% · Eng 72%

Maths50% LA 69% · Eng 73%

Read SS

105

Maths SS

GPS SS

103

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2023

R/W/M Expected Standard

28%

LA 56%England 60%

Reading50% LA 74% · Eng 73%

Writing44% LA 70% · Eng 71%

Maths38% LA 68% · Eng 73%

Read SS

100

Maths SS

GPS SS

Progress (0 = national avg)

-3.0

Read

LA 0.5

-5.2 to -0.8

-2.0

Write

LA -0.1

-4.1 to 0.2

-3.6

Maths

LA -0.9

-5.7 to -1.5

2019

R/W/M Expected Standard

31%

LA 63%England 65%

Reading45% LA 74% · Eng 73%

Writing55% LA 76% · Eng 78%

Maths41% LA 75% · Eng 79%

Read SS

100

Maths SS

100

GPS SS

102

Progress (0 = national avg)

-3.6

Read

LA 0.1

-5.9 to -1.3

-2.1

Write

LA -0.4

-4.2 to 0.0

-4.9

Maths

LA -0.8

-6.9 to -2.9

2018

R/W/M Expected Standard

58%

LA 62%

Reading58% LA 76%

Writing73% LA 77%

Maths65% LA 72%

Read SS

103

Maths SS

101

GPS SS

103

Progress (0 = national avg)

-3.2

Read

LA 0.2

-5.5 to -0.9

-1.2

Write

LA -0.5

-3.4 to 1

-3.9

Maths

LA -0.9

-6 to -1.8

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

01 October 2024

Inspection Report

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23 January 2019

Inspection Report

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12 July 2016

Inspection Report

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29 June 2015

Inspection Report

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29 April 2015

Inspection Report

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29 January 2015

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

4 Evaluations

2024-10-01

S5 Inspection EIF

Not Judged

info

Why no overall grade?

From autumn 2024, Ofsted stopped issuing a single headline grade (Outstanding / Good / RI / Inadequate). Instead, each inspection area is graded individually. This follows a major review after the death of headteacher Ruth Perry in 2023. The overall effectiveness field is left as "Not judged" in the published data.

Education

Good

Behaviour

Good

Development

Good

Leadership

Outstanding

2019-01-23

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2016-07-12

None Legacy

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2015-01-29

None Legacy

Inadequate

Education

Inadequate

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

Requires improvement

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

2.1%per term

warning Above Average

National average: 0.8% for this term (primary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

1.8%(5 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 1.225% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 281 pupils. During this period, there were 6 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 2.1%, which is above the termly national average of 0.8%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	281	6	2.1%	0.8%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	269	4	1.5%	0.9%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	257	12	4.7%	0.8%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	247	6	2.4%	0.7%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	229	7	3.1%	0.8%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	262	4	1.5%	0.7%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	269	14	5.2%	0.6%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	260	17	6.5%	0.6%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	270	16	5.9%	0.5%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	261	14	5.4%	0.5%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	251	6	2.4%	0.5%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	269	8	3.0%	0.4%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	261	1	0.4%	0.1%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	247	5	2.0%	0.4%	1
2019/20 (Summer term)	249	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	249	1	0.4%	0.4%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	232	9	3.9%	0.6%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	240	4	1.7%	0.4%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	244	10	4.1%	0.5%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	234	14	6.0%	0.5%	1
2017/18 (Summer term)	257	3	1.2%	0.5%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	256	10	3.9%	0.4%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	246	12	4.9%	0.5%	1
2016/17 (Summer term)	225	4	1.8%	0.4%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	223	9	4.0%	0.4%	1
2016/17 (Autumn term)	222	35	15.8%	0.5%	2

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Speech, Language & Communication 76 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 16 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 10 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 5 pupils

Profound & Multiple Learning 2 pupils

Physical Disability 2 pupils

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Parent View on Pastoral Care

Results from the official Ofsted Parent View survey, reflecting direct parent sentiment regarding the school environment.

My child is happy at this school.

95.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

90.0%Positive

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

10.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree46%

agree44%

disagree5%

don't know5%

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

strongly agree35%

agree46%

disagree12%

strongly disagree5%

don't know2%

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

strongly agree40%

agree11%

disagree2%

strongly disagree5%

don't know4%

not applicable39%

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

yes40%

no60%

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

strongly agree61%

agree26%

disagree4%

strongly disagree4%

dont know4%

The school has high expectations for my child.

strongly agree39%

agree44%

disagree2%

don't know16%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree58%

agree37%

disagree4%

strongly disagree2%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree47%

agree39%

disagree7%

strongly disagree5%

don't know2%

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

strongly agree53%

agree35%

don't know12%

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

strongly agree56%

agree33%

disagree7%

strongly disagree2%

don't know2%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree56%

agree30%

disagree9%

don't know5%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes91%

no9%

Top Primary Schools in Wiltshire

Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

View all arrow_forward

St. Peter's CE Primary Academy

Good

location_on Salisbury, SP2 9FL

emoji_events #1 in LA

Colerne CofE Primary School

Good

location_on Chippenham, SN14 8DU

emoji_events #2 in LA

Mere School

Good

location_on Warminster, BA12 6EW

emoji_events #3 in LA

Ashton Keynes Church of England Primary School

Good

location_on Swindon, SN6 6NZ

emoji_events #4 in LA

Pewsey Primary School

Good

location_on Pewsey, SN9 5EJ

emoji_events #5 in LA

St Michael's CofE Aided Primary

Outstanding

location_on Marlborough, SN8 2BP

emoji_events #6 in LA

View all schools in Wiltshire arrow_forward

School Summary

Academic Performance

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Distance to School

School Capacity

Primary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Parent View on Pastoral Care

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

My child does well at this school.

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

I would recommend this school to another parent.

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Primary Schools in Wiltshire

St. Peter's CE Primary Academy

Colerne CofE Primary School

Mere School

Ashton Keynes Church of England Primary School

Pewsey Primary School

St Michael's CofE Aided Primary