Semley Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
Voluntary aided primary school in Shaftesbury (Wiltshire).
Location
iSchool location from Get Information about Schools. Nearby schools are coloured by phase. Open Map+ for a full-screen map with neighbourhood deprivation (England only).About
Welcome to the Semley CE VA School website. At Semley we firmly believe that every child is unique and we take time to value their particular gifts and talents, this includes celebrating diversity, individuality and creativity. Semley encourages and gives opportunities for each child to shine, to achieve the best they can and to primarily enjoy their learning.
Semley CE VA Primary School is committed to providing a broad and balanced range of experiences and opportunities whilst children are in a caring and nurturing environment. The curriculum, whilst focusing on the core skills of literacy and numeracy, gives opportunities that are broad and balanced.
They learn discrete subject knowledge through carefully planned curriculum progression alongside a topic-based creative curriculum, this allows children to make meaningful links across the subjects.
In the school’s own words, from the school website.
Enrichment
2 activitiesiFound on the school website by WhatSchool. Not verified by Governance Register; the school website is the authority.- Swimming
- Forest School
Key facts
- URN
- 126439
- Type
- Voluntary aided school
- Phase
- Primary
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Sixth form
- Does not have a sixth form
- Nursery
- No Nursery Classes
- Local authority
- Wiltshire
- Constituency
- Salisbury
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
Governing body (10 current, 4 former)
Maintained school governing body.
Leadership
| Name | Role | How appointed | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mr Neil Baker | Chair of Governors | Nominated by LA and appointed by GB | since 2026 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
| Mrs Molly Swann Former | Chair of Governors | Appointed by foundation/Trust | since 2026 · term ended 2026 |
| Mrs Briony Brickell Former | Chair of Governors | Nominated by LA and appointed by GB | since 2020 · term ended 2026 |
Full governing body
| Name | Role | How appointed | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miss Lydia Short | Governor | Elected by school staff | since 2026 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
| Mrs Chloe Cardozo | Governor | Appointed by foundation/Trust | since 2026 · until 2029 |
| Mrs Louise Smith | Governor | Persons who are appointed by the foundation body or sponsor (if applicable) | since 2025 · until 2029 |
| Mr Jon McLean | Governor | Elected by parents | since 2025 · until 2029 |
| Mr Antony Pinsent | Governor | Appointed by foundation/Trust | since 2023 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
| Mrs Abigail Carlyle-Clarke | Governor | Ex-officio by virtue of office as headteacher/principal | since 2022 |
| Mrs Susan Dawson | Governor | Appointed by foundation/Trust | since 2021 · until 2026 ends 2026 |
| Lady Harriet Egerton | Governor | Appointed by foundation/Trust | since 2021 · until 2026 ends 2026 |
| The Revd Kate McFarlane | Governor | Ex-officio foundation governor (appointed by foundation by virtue of the office they hold) | since 2021 |
| Mrs Victoria Gambier Former | Governor | Elected by school staff | since 2024 · term ended 2026 |
| Mrs Molly Swann Former | Governor | Parent appointed by GB/board due to no election candidates | since 2021 · term ended 2025 |
Source: Department for Education, Get Information about Schools (governance records, as at 25 October 2026). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Names are shown as published; there are no addresses or contact details. Current and former are worked out from term end dates when the page loads. Object or ask for removal · Report an issue with this record