Chirbury CofE VC Primary School & Busy Bees Nursery

Chirbury CofE VC Primary School is performing well, achieving a 'Good' rating across all areas reviewed during the inspection. The school has created a positive environment for pupils, who enjoy their time and demonstrate respectful relationships with peers and adults alike. Significant improvements in the quality of education have been noted since the previous inspection, especially in terms of curriculum enhancements and the nurturing of pupils' personal development in a small village setting with a strong Christian ethos. Parental feedback indicates satisfaction with these changes, recognizing their children's safety and happiness at school.

Strengths

• Strong Christian ethos fostered within the school community.
• Impressive range of exciting extracurricular opportunities.
• Effective phonics teaching with all pupils meeting expected standards.
• Good support for pupils with special educational needs.
• High expectations from staff leading to good pupil progress.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistencies in subject planning, particularly in science.
• Limited opportunities for pupils to apply and deepen mathematical understanding.
• New leaders lack current opportunity to evaluate subject implementation.

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 Chirbury CofE VC Primary School & Busy Bees Nursery attended 95.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 12.5% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Chirbury CofE VC Primary School & Busy Bees Nursery 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 Chirbury CofE VC Primary School & Busy Bees Nursery had 17.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 46.9% 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, 12.5% of pupils at Chirbury CofE VC Primary School & Busy Bees Nursery were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.0% 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 Chirbury CofE VC Primary School & Busy Bees Nursery received £8,262 and spent £8,166 for each of its 97 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £90,000 (£925 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

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What is Chirbury CofE VC Primary School & Busy Bees Nursery's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Chirbury CofE VC Primary School & Busy Bees Nursery is Good, from an inspection in April 2025.

When was Chirbury CofE VC Primary School & Busy Bees Nursery last inspected by Ofsted?

Chirbury CofE VC Primary School & Busy Bees Nursery was last inspected in April 2025.

How many pupils does Chirbury CofE VC Primary School & Busy Bees Nursery have?

Chirbury CofE VC Primary School & Busy Bees Nursery has 104 pupils on roll.

What age range does Chirbury CofE VC Primary School & Busy Bees Nursery cover?

Chirbury CofE VC Primary School & Busy Bees Nursery for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Chirbury CofE VC Primary School & Busy Bees Nursery's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 22% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Chirbury CofE VC Primary School & Busy Bees Nursery?

Chirbury CofE VC Primary School & Busy Bees Nursery is at Chirbury, Montgomery, Powys, SY15 6BN.