Birdham CE Primary School

Birdham CE Primary has shown notable improvement since its last inspection, moving from requiring improvement to achieving a good overall effectiveness rating. The school is characterized by strong leadership that fosters a caring environment where pupils feel safe and valued. The curriculum has been developed thoughtfully, allowing pupils to engage in a broad range of activities. The commitment to ensuring that all pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities, receive the support they need is commendable. The school prioritizes reading and involves parents in their children's learning, contributing to a positive atmosphere for growth and development.

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe and enjoy a wide range of extracurricular activities.
• Strong leadership with a clear vision for improvement.
• Effective support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.
• Teachers have strong subject knowledge and use assessment effectively.
• The early years environment promotes children's language and numeracy skills.

Areas for Improvement

• In a small number of subjects, the teaching does not focus precisely enough on key knowledge.

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 Birdham CE Primary School attended 92.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 22.6% 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, 1.6% of pupils at Birdham CE 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 Birdham CE Primary School had 18.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 31.2% 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, 12.8% of pupils at Birdham CE Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.6% 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 Birdham CE Primary School received £8,745 and spent £8,540 for each of its 109 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £35,000 (£320 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 Chichester · West Sussex local authority: places and applications

What is Birdham CE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Birdham CE Primary School is Good, from an inspection in November 2022.

When was Birdham CE Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Birdham CE Primary School was last inspected in November 2022.

How many pupils does Birdham CE Primary School have?

Birdham CE Primary School has 109 pupils on roll.

What age range does Birdham CE Primary School cover?

Birdham CE Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Birdham CE Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 59% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Birdham CE Primary School?

Birdham CE Primary School is at Crooked Lane, Birdham, Chichester, West Sussex, PO20 7HB.