Berkley Church of England First School

Berkley Church of England First School is a small, close-knit first school that is meeting expectations overall. Safeguarding standards are met, and no evaluated area was judged as needing attention or urgent improvement. Following a period of leadership instability, governors acted quickly, external support helped stabilise leadership, and leaders have secured improvements to the curriculum, teaching, behaviour and care. Pupils are happy, behave well, attend well and are prepared for the next stage of education. Strengths include a well-sequenced curriculum in most subjects, secure foundations in reading, writing and mathematics, effective phonics, and strong early years provision. Pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils are well supported, and personal development, pastoral care and mental health provision are effective. Behaviour is calm and consistent, attendance is improving, and parents speak positively about recent improvements. There are still areas to develop. The curriculum for speaking and listening, including communication and language in early years, is not clearly sequenced, which limits some pupils' ability to explain their thinking. Writing letter formation is not consistently taught accurately from the outset, and teaching is not yet consistently secure in every subject. Governors also need a clearer understanding of how the school performs against national benchmarks so they can challenge leaders more effectively.

Strengths

• Leaders have raised expectations and improved teaching, leading to more secure pupil progress.
• The curriculum is well sequenced and taught effectively in most subjects.
• Pupils gain secure knowledge in mathematics and now receive support for multiplication facts.
• Pupils behave well because of clear, consistently applied behaviour routines.
• Low-level disruption is rare and pupils play well together at social times.
• The school is a safe, calm environment where pupils can learn without distraction.
• Attendance is prioritised and overall absence rates are improving.
• Disadvantaged pupils are closely monitored and supported to attend regularly.
• Foundational reading, writing and mathematics are a clear focus with timely catch-up support.
• Early years children are curious, engaged and well prepared for the next stage.
• Phonics teaching is effective, with pupils progressing well in reading.
• Pupils with SEND are well supported and participate fully in school life.
• Personal development and pastoral support are well thought out and effective.
• A wide range of enrichment, trips and sporting opportunities are available to all pupils.

Areas for Improvement

• The curriculum for speaking and listening is not clearly sequenced across early years and the wider school.
• Communication and language provision in early years lacks clear progression for speaking and listening skills.
• In writing, staff do not always ensure pupils form letters correctly, leading to embedded misconceptions.
• Teaching quality is not yet consistently secure in all areas of the curriculum.
• Governors lack a sufficiently clear understanding of school performance compared with national benchmarks, limiting challenge and checks on leaders' impact.

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 Berkley Church of England First School attended 94.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.4% 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 Berkley Church of England First 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 Berkley Church of England First School had 14.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 42.6% 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, 14.3% of pupils at Berkley Church of England First School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.0% 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 Berkley Church of England First School received £12,496 and spent £12,954 for each of its 49 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £73,000 (£1,484 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 Frome · Somerset local authority: places and applications

What is Berkley Church of England First School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Berkley Church of England First School is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Berkley Church of England First School last inspected by Ofsted?

Berkley Church of England First School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Berkley Church of England First School have?

Berkley Church of England First School has 49 pupils on roll.

What age range does Berkley Church of England First School cover?

Berkley Church of England First School for pupils aged 5 to 9.

Where is Berkley Church of England First School?

Berkley Church of England First School is at Berkley Street, Berkley, Frome, Somerset, BA11 5JH.