Bishop Henderson Church of England Primary School

This is a small Church of England primary school with pre-school provision for two-year-olds and a below-average pupil roll. Safeguarding is met. This was not a first inspection, and leaders have been working on improvement since the previous inspection. The school's strongest areas are its early years provision and pupils' personal development. Early years has improved significantly, with an ambitious curriculum, a language-rich environment and a strong focus on reading from age two. Personal development is a strength, with a wide range of clubs and experiences, and pupils learn about tolerance, respect and online safety. Pupils feel safe and happy, behaviour is good, and warm pastoral care is evident. However, a legacy weak curriculum has left gaps for older pupils in reading, writing and mathematics, particularly basic writing skills. Some pupils, including those with SEND, do not achieve as well as they could because support is not monitored closely enough and targets lack precision. Attendance data are not analysed routinely enough, and governors do not challenge the quality of education sufficiently, especially for pupils with SEND. Leaders have strengthened the curriculum and staff feel valued, but several recent actions have not yet had evident impact.

Strengths

• Early years provision has improved significantly and is now ambitious and well designed.
• Children benefit from a language-rich environment that helps close communication and language gaps.
• Staff identify barriers to learning quickly and put appropriate support in place.
• Reading is prioritised from age two through stories, rhymes and drama.
• Personal development is a strength, with a wide range of clubs and wider experiences.
• Leaders track participation, including for disadvantaged pupils, so opportunities are open to all.
• Pupils learn tolerance, mutual respect and about a range of faiths and cultures.
• PSHE develops pupils' understanding of online safety, healthy relationships and physical health.
• Pupils are well mannered, respectful and behave well, with established routines.
• Pupils feel safe and trust staff to deal with bullying.
• Warm pastoral care and caring relationships help pupils feel well cared for.
• The curriculum has been strengthened and leaders understand its strengths and development areas.
• Staff use subject knowledge confidently and resources support learning.
• Younger pupils develop fluency in reading and number facts, preparing them well for key stage 2.
• An inclusive culture exists, pupil premium funding is used effectively, and leaders engage well with families and external agencies.
• Staff feel valued and supported, and many parents value how staff go above and beyond.
• Governors fulfil their statutory duties and monitor safeguarding closely.

Areas for Improvement

• Older pupils have gaps in reading, writing and mathematics because of a legacy weak curriculum.
• Basic writing skills such as handwriting, punctuation and spelling need more focus in key stage 2.
• Some pupils, including those with SEND, do not achieve as highly as they could.
• Staff deployment and resources are not consistently well matched, so some pupils do not get help to catch up quickly.
• Leaders do not monitor the impact of SEND support closely enough and lack a clear view of how well pupils with SEND learn.
• Individual learning plan targets lack precision and are not reviewed with sufficient rigour.
• Attendance data are not routinely analysed closely enough, especially for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.
• Some leadership actions lack precision or do not identify underlying causes, so improvement is not quick enough.
• Governors do not provide enough challenge on the quality of education, particularly for pupils with SEND.

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 Bishop Henderson Church of England Primary School attended 93.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.8% 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, 2.3% of pupils at Bishop Henderson Church of England 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 Bishop Henderson Church of England Primary School had 19.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 33.3% 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, 15.8% of pupils at Bishop Henderson Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.8% 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 Bishop Henderson Church of England Primary School received £7,894 and spent £7,964 for each of its 124 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £51,000 (£411 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 Radstock · Somerset local authority: places and applications

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

The latest Ofsted rating for Bishop Henderson Church of England Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in January 2026.

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

Bishop Henderson Church of England Primary School was last inspected in January 2026.

How many pupils does Bishop Henderson Church of England Primary School have?

Bishop Henderson Church of England Primary School has 133 pupils on roll.

What age range does Bishop Henderson Church of England Primary School cover?

Bishop Henderson Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

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

In 2025, 75% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Bishop Henderson Church of England Primary School?

Bishop Henderson Church of England Primary School is at Farley Dell, Coleford, Radstock, Somerset, BA3 5PN.