Wyvern St Edmund's Review 2026: A merged Salisbury secondary focused on belonging and steady improvement

Wyvern St Edmund’s is an 11 to 16 Church of England secondary on the eastern side of Salisbury, shaped by a relatively recent merger and now operating as one mixed school within Magna Learning Partnership. The school’s own narrative leans heavily on cohesion, with a stated culture of togetherness after the formal amalgamation in September 2022.

Leadership has also been in motion. The trust lists Bruce Burley as Acting Headteacher, following earlier post-merger leadership under Louise Henderson. This context matters because much of the current story is about systems bedding in, curriculum refinement, and ensuring consistency for pupils across subjects and year groups.

Academically, Wyvern St Edmund’s sits in line with the middle 35% of secondary schools in England (25th to 60th percentile) on FindMySchool’s GCSE outcomes ranking. It is ranked 2,553rd in England and 5th locally within the Salisbury area (FindMySchool ranking, based on official data).

Two ideas come through strongly in the school’s official materials and external reporting: belonging, and values-led conduct. The merger is not presented as a footnote; it is central to the identity. The March 2025 inspection report describes a culture built around collective belonging, which is exactly the kind of framing parents tend to notice most quickly in a large secondary, particularly one created from two previously separate schools.

The values language is also distinctive and consistent. The school’s “GRACE” values, Generosity, Respect, Aspiration, Courage, Empathy, appear as a shared shorthand across communications and are used as behavioural and pastoral reference points rather than as decorative branding. For families, that typically translates into clearer routines, more predictable expectations, and a common vocabulary that staff and pupils can return to when problems arise.

Faith is present, but in a way that reads as ethos first, rather than a narrow admissions identity. The trust’s description explicitly grounds the vision in Christian beliefs and service, and the school’s own communications frequently use Christian framing around character, responsibility, and community contribution. In practice, families should expect a recognisable Church of England character, with an emphasis on serving others and on personal conduct, while still operating as a broad, local mixed secondary.

On the FindMySchool GCSE outcomes ranking, Wyvern St Edmund’s is ranked 2,553rd in England and 5th in the Salisbury area (FindMySchool ranking, based on official data). This positioning places the school broadly in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile), which is a helpful shorthand for parents comparing options that are neither consistently top-decile nor persistently struggling.

The Attainment 8 score is 42.7 and Progress 8 is -0.3. For parents, the practical reading of a negative Progress 8 score is that, on average, pupils make less progress than similar pupils nationally from the same starting points, although this is an average and hides variation between subjects, cohorts, and groups.

EBacc indicators provide further context. The school’s average EBacc APS is 3.75, with 10.9% of pupils achieving grades 5 or above across the EBacc components. (As with all headline measures, families should treat these as starting points and then explore subject-level strengths and the experience of specific pathways such as higher prior attainment sets.)

If you are comparing local schools, a useful approach is to use FindMySchool’s Local Hub page and Comparison Tool to set Wyvern St Edmund’s alongside nearby alternatives on the same measures, rather than relying on anecdote.

Recent curriculum work is a major theme, and it is described in concrete terms. The school has redesigned the curriculum to be more carefully sequenced and more ambitious, with most subjects in place and a smaller number still developing. The implication for families is that pupils may experience a stronger, more coherent learning journey than in the early merger period, but that consistency can still vary by department.

Reading is treated as a whole-school priority, not just an English department concern. External reporting refers to targeted support for pupils with gaps in reading knowledge, alongside structured exposure to diverse texts through a tutor reading programme. A separate school bulletin points to the use of Sparx Reader to drive routine reading practice at scale. For pupils who arrive with weaker literacy foundations, that combination of assessment, targeted help, and daily reinforcement is often the difference between “coping” and genuinely accessing the full curriculum.

The key developmental challenge is not framed as ambition, but as implementation. Classroom adaptation for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities is identified as inconsistent, with the consequence that some pupils do not reliably receive the support they need to make strong progress. There is also an emphasis on strengthening checks for understanding, so that gaps are identified and acted on before pupils move on too quickly. For parents, these are the right issues to probe on a visit: what does adaptive teaching look like in practice, how are staff trained, and how does the school assure consistency across departments?

With no sixth form, the default “next step” question is about post-16 routes. Being part of a trust that includes Salisbury Sixth Form College is relevant context for families weighing continuity and local progression pathways. The careers programme is also described as structured and forward-looking, with an explicit focus on preparing pupils for key decisions at 16 and on ensuring access to technical education and apprenticeships information alongside academic routes.

In practical terms, families should look for three things when assessing destinations support: how early guidance begins in Key Stage 3, how option choices at Key Stage 4 are shaped by realistic post-16 routes, and whether pupils can access meaningful encounters with colleges, employers, and training providers without self-advocating heavily.

Wyvern St Edmund’s is a state-funded school. Places for Year 7 are coordinated through Wiltshire Council rather than sold or secured through fees.

For September 2026 entry, Wiltshire’s published timetable sets out a clear sequence: the admissions portal opens on 01 September 2025; applications close at midnight on 31 October 2025; offers are released on 02 March 2026; and the acceptance deadline is 16 March 2026. The same timetable also sets an “exceptional circumstances” late deadline of 16 December 2025 for specific situations, which can matter for families moving house.

Open days and visits are usually the practical hinge for parents deciding whether to rank a school highly. If specific open-event dates are not yet confirmed for your entry year, it is sensible to assume the pattern repeats annually and to check the school’s calendar closer to the autumn term.

If you are mapping travel time, realistic walking routes, and how your address compares with other local applicants, FindMySchool’s Map Search can help you sanity-check day-to-day logistics before you lock in preferences.

Pastoral systems in a large 11 to 16 school matter most in routine moments: tutor time, corridor transitions, behaviour resets, and how bullying reports are handled. The March 2025 inspection report describes calm lessons built around routines and rising expectations for conduct. It also references prompt follow-up when bullying is reported, alongside ongoing work to strengthen pupil confidence in reporting concerns.

Mental health and relationships education is positioned as a structured part of the curriculum through personal, social, health and careers education, rather than a bolt-on. For families, this typically shows up in more consistent messaging and clearer signposting to help, particularly for pupils who struggle quietly.

SEND support is described as thorough at the identification and planning stage, with the key priority being consistent classroom practice so that planned strategies are reliably used. If your child has identified needs, the most useful questions are often the most specific: how do subject teachers adapt tasks in mixed-attainment classes, how is feedback shared between subject staff and the SEND team, and what happens if an agreed strategy is not consistently applied?

The latest inspection confirmed that safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Enrichment is presented as a participation strategy, not only as a showcase for elite performers. External reporting highlights a “full and varied” offer and names specific examples including coding club and a string orchestra, which is a useful signal that the programme spans both STEM and the arts. Importantly, it also notes transport support so that pupils are not excluded from clubs by lack of bus access, which is a very practical advantage for families living further out.

Student leadership is another visible strand. The school hosts a pupil parliament within the trust, creating a platform for pupils to raise issues and contribute to decisions beyond their own year group. In practice, that can suit pupils who respond well to responsibility and who gain confidence through structured roles rather than through informal popularity.

School bulletins add colour around activities that tend to matter to families considering “breadth”: STEM problem-solving through the Big Bang Faraday Challenge format, trips that include languages and history, and Duke of Edinburgh activity for pupils ready for a more demanding outdoors commitment. These are not just extras; they are often where pupils find their peer group and where staff see them operating outside exam pressure.

Wyvern St Edmund’s sits in Laverstock on the eastern side of Salisbury, with the trust noting views across the Laverstock Downs and towards Salisbury Cathedral. For many families, this translates into straightforward access from surrounding villages as well as Salisbury itself.

School-day timings and the most up-to-date routine information are typically communicated through school calendars and family bulletins; families should check these before planning transport, especially if relying on buses. The school’s approach to enabling club attendance through transport support is a practical strength for pupils whose lift options are limited.

• Quality of education requires improvement grade. The March 2025 inspection graded Quality of Education as Requires Improvement, while Behaviour and Attitudes, Personal Development, and Leadership and Management were graded Good. Families should look for clear evidence of curriculum consistency and strong checks for understanding, particularly in the subjects that are still developing.

• SEND classroom adaptation consistency. Support planning is described as detailed, but adaptations are not always used well in lessons. If your child relies on specific strategies, ask how the school monitors day-to-day consistency across departments.

• Assessment practice still tightening. In some curriculum areas, pupils can move on before gaps are addressed. Families may want to understand how teachers check retention and respond when pupils do not secure key knowledge.

• Alternative provision oversight. The inspection report states the school uses five unregistered alternative provisions. Parents of vulnerable pupils should ask how placements are quality-assured, how safeguarding is monitored, and how reintegration is handled.

Wyvern St Edmund’s is a large, mixed Salisbury secondary whose post-merger identity is built around belonging, shared values, and tightening consistency. Its GCSE outcomes sit broadly in the middle of England’s distribution on FindMySchool’s ranking, while external reporting shows a school that is clear-eyed about what must improve, particularly the consistency of classroom implementation for SEND and the sharpness of checks for understanding.

Who it suits: families wanting a local, values-led Church of England secondary with a broad enrichment offer, where pupils benefit from structured routines and a clear behaviour climate. The main decision point is whether the current improvement priorities align with what your child needs most, especially if they require highly consistent adaptive teaching across all subjects.