St Stephen's CofE Primary School

St Stephen's CofE Primary School has demonstrated significant improvement since its last inspection, moving from a grade of Requires Improvement to Good. The school fosters a caring and inclusive environment where pupils feel valued and supported, reflecting the school's core values. With a well-planned curriculum that effectively builds on pupils' knowledge year after year, students engage positively with their learning and exhibit good behavior in class, leading to a fulfilling educational experience overall. Personal development is particularly strong, with many opportunities for pupils to take on roles of responsibility and engage with their community.

Strengths

• Caring and inclusive ethos promoting pupil well-being
• Well-planned curriculum building knowledge progressively
• High expectations set by staff for all pupils
• Effective teaching of phonics and reading skills
• Strong support for pupils with SEND
• Good personal development opportunities for pupils
• Active involvement of pupils in school life and community

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent adaptation of lesson content to meet individual pupil needs
• Some pupils experience low attendance affecting their learning

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at St Stephen's CofE Primary School attended 93.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 19.9% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 1.5% of pupils at St Stephen's CofE Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). One pupil was permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 St Stephen's CofE Primary School had 20.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 14.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 15.9% of pupils at St Stephen's CofE Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.2% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 St Stephen's CofE Primary School received £7,495 and spent £7,521 for each of its 431 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £251,000 (£583 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Bradford · Bradford local authority: places and applications

What is St Stephen's CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Stephen's CofE Primary School is Good, from an inspection in December 2022.

When was St Stephen's CofE Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

St Stephen's CofE Primary School was last inspected in December 2022.

How many pupils does St Stephen's CofE Primary School have?

St Stephen's CofE Primary School has 460 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Stephen's CofE Primary School cover?

St Stephen's CofE Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are St Stephen's CofE Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 52% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Stephen's CofE Primary School?

St Stephen's CofE Primary School is at Gaythorne Road, West Bowling, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD5 7HU.