Frenchay Church of England Primary School

Frenchay Church of England Primary School is a happy, welcoming school where pupils feel safe, build strong relationships and take pride in their school community. Inspectors found the school ambitious for all pupils, with effective early reading and phonics, a well-sequenced curriculum in most subjects, good personal development and strong attendance work. Pupils behave well, take on leadership roles and contribute to fundraising and the wider community. The school is an Anglican primary school and this was its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic; it had not previously been inspected under section 5. The main areas for improvement are in curriculum clarity and assessment. In some subjects, leaders have not fully defined the knowledge pupils should learn, which makes it harder for pupils to build knowledge securely and can leave gaps unaddressed. Assessment in some subjects does not give staff an accurate enough picture of what pupils know and remember. At times, adults also do not check carefully enough how well all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are learning, and some pupils do not participate well in activities or answer questions. Safeguarding is effective, governors understand the school’s strengths and challenge it to improve, and staff value the support they receive for workload, well-being and training. Many parents are positive about the school and value the relationships between staff and children.

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe, are polite and respectful, and behave well around the school.
• The school’s ‘Believe, Belong, Become’ vision helps pupils feel part of a happy community.
• The school is ambitious for all pupils to achieve well.
• The curriculum is carefully sequenced in most subjects so pupils build knowledge gradually.
• Early reading is prioritised and the phonics programme is effective from Reception.
• Pupils who struggle with reading receive targeted support to build fluency.
• The school identifies and assesses pupils with SEND thoroughly.
• Personal, social and health education is effective and helps pupils understand safety and the wider world.
• Pupils take on leadership roles and contribute through fundraising and charity work.
• Attendance is tracked closely and action is taken when it starts to fall.
• Governors have an accurate understanding of strengths and challenge the school to improve.
• Staff value the care, support and training they receive.

Areas for Improvement

• In some subjects, the curriculum does not clearly define the knowledge pupils should learn.
• Some pupils forget prior knowledge because curriculum clarity is inconsistent.
• Assessment in some subjects does not accurately identify gaps in pupils’ knowledge.
• Some gaps in pupils’ knowledge go unaddressed because staff do not check learning precisely enough.
• Adults do not always check how well all pupils, including those with SEND, are learning.
• Some pupils do not participate well in activities or answer questions, limiting checks on 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 Frenchay Church of England Primary School attended 94.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 14.1% 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, 2.0% of pupils at Frenchay Church of England 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 Frenchay Church of England Primary School had 20.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 29.3% 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, 8.8% of pupils at Frenchay Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.8% 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 Frenchay Church of England Primary School received £6,532 and spent £6,373 for each of its 226 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £200,000 (£883 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).

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What is Frenchay Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Frenchay Church of England Primary School is Good, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was Frenchay Church of England Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Frenchay Church of England Primary School was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Frenchay Church of England Primary School have?

Frenchay Church of England Primary School has 226 pupils on roll.

What age range does Frenchay Church of England Primary School cover?

Frenchay Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 5 to 11.

What are Frenchay Church of England Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 78% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Frenchay Church of England Primary School?

Frenchay Church of England Primary School is at Alexander Road, Frenchay, Bristol, BS16 1UZ.