Air Balloon Hill Primary School

Air Balloon Hill Primary School continues to perform well, maintaining its status as a good school since its last inspection in April 2018. The school fosters a friendly and nurturing environment where pupils feel safe, respected, and valued. With a curriculum that is both ambitious and relevant, the school promotes curiosity and deeper understanding among its students. Pupils benefit from a range of extracurricular activities and community engagement, which complement their academic experiences. However, some pupils are not always able to deepen their learning due to the pace of adaptation in lessons.

Strengths

• Nurturing and welcoming school environment
• Strong relationships between pupils and staff
• High expectations for pupil behavior
• Ambitious and relevant curriculum
• Effective reading program that builds fluency
• Good support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
• Wide range of extracurricular opportunities

Areas for Improvement

• Learning is not always adapted quickly enough for some pupils

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 Air Balloon Hill Primary School attended 94.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 15.2% 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, 1.2% of pupils at Air Balloon Hill 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 Air Balloon Hill Primary School had 22.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 8.7% 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, 16.5% of pupils at Air Balloon Hill Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.2% 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 Air Balloon Hill Primary School received £6,730 and spent £6,735 for each of its 788 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £62,000 (£78 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 Bristol · Bristol, City of local authority: places and applications

What is Air Balloon Hill Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Air Balloon Hill Primary School is Good, from an inspection in January 2024.

When was Air Balloon Hill Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Air Balloon Hill Primary School was last inspected in January 2024.

How many pupils does Air Balloon Hill Primary School have?

Air Balloon Hill Primary School has 788 pupils on roll.

What age range does Air Balloon Hill Primary School cover?

Air Balloon Hill Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Air Balloon Hill Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 60% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Air Balloon Hill Primary School?

Air Balloon Hill Primary School is at Hillside Road, St George, Bristol, Bristol, BS5 7PB.