Bidston Village CofE (Controlled) Primary School

Bidston Village CofE (Controlled) Primary School is a welcoming, inclusive school where pupils feel safe and valued. Inspectors found the early years, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing at the expected standard, with safeguarding met. The school has strong pastoral care, effective SEND support including a specially resourced provision for pupils with moderate learning difficulty, a well-designed early years curriculum, and clear leadership capacity after recent leadership changes. The curriculum is beginning to improve outcomes, with stronger phonics and multiplication checks and better handwriting teaching. However, achievement, attendance and behaviour, and curriculum and teaching are areas needing attention. Published results over time in reading, writing and mathematics are below national averages, and older pupils still have gaps in foundational skills. Teaching quality is variable, with some activities not well matched to pupils' starting points or using overly complex vocabulary. Attendance is a significant concern: overall absence and persistent absence are above national averages, including for disadvantaged pupils, despite leaders' sustained efforts. Disadvantaged pupils' attainment and the disadvantage gap are also below national. The school serves a larger-than-average pupil population in an area of well above average deprivation, with very high proportions of pupils eligible for free school meals and pupils with SEND. Leaders have an accurate understanding of the school's context and priorities, and recent curriculum improvements are beginning to raise standards. The next steps focus on securing achievement in reading, writing and mathematics, refining the curriculum, and improving attendance.

Strengths

• Warm, trusting relationships help children feel safe and secure in the early years.
• Communication, language, personal, social and emotional development sit at the heart of the early years curriculum.
• The early years curriculum is well designed, progressive, purposeful and well resourced.
• Leaders have a clear inclusive vision and pupils develop a deep sense of belonging.
• Systems for identifying and assessing pupils' individual needs are strong, particularly for pupils with SEND.
• The specially resourced SEND provision supports pupils to take part fully in school life.
• Leaders quickly gained a detailed understanding of the school and drive improvement at pace after recent leadership changes.
• Staff benefit from continuous professional development, collaboration and consideration of wellbeing and workload.
• Governors understand the school's context and hold leaders to account effectively.
• Personal development and wellbeing are prioritised, with effective pastoral support and a broad PSHE programme.
• Pupils learn about healthy relationships, safety, British values, equality and respect.
• Educational visits, residentials and clubs build resilience, confidence and broader experiences.
• Pupils generally behave well, classrooms are calm, and bullying or discrimination incidents are rare.
• Phonics teaching is secure, and recent improvements are raising standards in early reading and multiplication.

Areas for Improvement

• Published attainment in reading, writing and mathematics has been below national averages over time.
• Some older pupils have gaps in foundational knowledge and basic skills that slow their progress.
• Disadvantaged pupils' attainment and the disadvantage gap remain below national levels.
• The quality of teaching varies, and some lessons do not meet pupils' needs well enough.
• Some activities do not match pupils' starting points or rely on vocabulary pupils have not grasped.
• Some curriculum content still requires refinement to match pupils' current needs.
• Attendance remains low, with persistent absence above national averages, including for disadvantaged pupils.
• Some pupils with SEND in mainstream classes are not consistently well supported.
• Some pupils still face barriers that are not fully overcome despite effective use of additional funding.

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 Bidston Village CofE (Controlled) Primary School attended 93.1% 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, 2.1% of pupils at Bidston Village CofE (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 Bidston Village CofE (Controlled) Primary School had 20.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 9.4% 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, 30.2% of pupils at Bidston Village CofE (Controlled) Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 9.4% 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 Bidston Village CofE (Controlled) Primary School received £9,587 and spent £10,587 for each of its 384 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £401,000 (£1,044 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).

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What is Bidston Village CofE (Controlled) Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Bidston Village CofE (Controlled) Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Bidston Village CofE (Controlled) Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Bidston Village CofE (Controlled) Primary School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Bidston Village CofE (Controlled) Primary School have?

Bidston Village CofE (Controlled) Primary School has 404 pupils on roll.

What age range does Bidston Village CofE (Controlled) Primary School cover?

Bidston Village CofE (Controlled) Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Bidston Village CofE (Controlled) Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 27% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Bidston Village CofE (Controlled) Primary School?

Bidston Village CofE (Controlled) Primary School is at Ballantyne Drive, Bidston, Prenton, Merseyside, CH43 7XG.