Birchanger Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Birchanger Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is a small, welcoming and inclusive school where pupils feel safe, known and valued. Ofsted found the school is meeting expectations across all inspected areas, with safeguarding requirements met. Reading and phonics are notable strengths: the phonics programme is securely embedded and Year 1 phonics outcomes have improved considerably since 2023. Pupils typically behave well, attend regularly, and achieve broadly in line with national expectations in Year 6 tests. Pupils with SEND are identified promptly and supported effectively, and the early years provides a caring, well-sequenced start to school. Leaders have a secure understanding of the school and have made positive changes, especially in early reading, attendance and behaviour. Governors provide effective challenge and support, staff benefit from high-quality professional development, and personal development is broad, with a well-designed programme and a wide range of enrichment and leadership opportunities. Inclusion is a clear strength, and disadvantaged pupils are well supported to take part in all aspects of school life. Some areas still need further work. Pupils do not always achieve as well in some wider subjects as they do in English and mathematics, and in subjects such as history and geography tasks do not consistently deepen their thinking or produce high-quality work. Early years language modelling is not consistently strong, mathematics developments are at an early stage, and communication with parents and carers about learning and behaviour needs to improve. Overall, this is a solid and inclusive school with no urgent concerns and clear next steps to ensure consistently high-quality learning across all subjects.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met, and pupils feel safe and well supported.
• Pupils are happy, known and valued, with warm relationships and a welcoming school culture.
• Behaviour is typically calm, orderly and respectful, and bullying is rare.
• Attendance is generally good, and leaders provide effective bespoke support to improve it.
• The phonics programme is securely embedded, and Year 1 phonics outcomes have improved considerably since 2023.
• Pupils typically achieve in line with national expectations in Year 6 national tests.
• Pupils with SEND are identified promptly and supported effectively, and many progress well.
• The early years provides a caring, ambitious environment with a well-sequenced curriculum.
• Leaders have a secure understanding of the school and make decisions in pupils' best interests.
• Governors challenge and support leaders effectively and ensure resources are used efficiently.
• Personal development is well designed, with the 4Bs and Rainbow Curriculum offering broad enrichment.
• Staff receive high-quality professional development, and leaders consider workload and wellbeing.
• Inclusion is a strength, with disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND well supported and included.

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils with barriers to learning do not always achieve as well as leaders would like.
• Pupils do not consistently achieve the same high standards in some wider subjects as they do in English and mathematics.
• In subjects such as history and geography, activities sometimes do not enable pupils to deepen their thinking and produce high-quality work.
• Early years staff do not consistently model language and engage children in high-quality talk.
• Mathematics developments are still at an early stage and have had less impact so far.
• Pupils' knowledge in personal development is not consistently secure and detailed.
• Communication with parents and carers about pupils' learning and behaviour needs further improvement.

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 Birchanger Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School attended 95.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 6.6% 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, 1.0% of pupils at Birchanger Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were 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 Birchanger Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School had 11.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 28.6% 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, 6.5% of pupils at Birchanger Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.2% 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 Birchanger Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School received £8,677 and spent £9,031 for each of its 93 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £97,000 (£1,047 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 Bishop'S Stortford · Essex local authority: places and applications

What is Birchanger Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Birchanger Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Birchanger Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Birchanger Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Birchanger Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School have?

Birchanger Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School has 93 pupils on roll.

What age range does Birchanger Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School cover?

Birchanger Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Birchanger Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 64% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Birchanger Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School?

Birchanger Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is at Birchwood, Birchanger, Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, CM23 5QL.