Bishops Cleeve Primary Academy

Bishops Cleeve Primary Academy continues to perform well as a good school, as assessed during its first ungraded inspection since being rated good in 2018. The school fosters a nurturing and inclusive environment where pupils feel safe, happy, and ready to learn. Strong kindness and strong relationships between staff, parents, and pupils enhance the school's supportive atmosphere. Academically, the school has ambitious expectations for all pupils and provides a well-structured curriculum that allows for frequent assessments to promptly address any learning gaps. Special educational needs are identified accurately, and effective support is provided to benefit all students.

Strengths

• Strong working relationships between staff, parents, and pupils.
• Inclusive school culture with a focus on pupil wellbeing.
• Ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum for all pupils.
• Effective early reading program and phonics instruction.
• High levels of engagement in extracurricular activities.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils do not have secure knowledge of some important curriculum concepts, limiting their problem-solving abilities and independence.

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 Bishops Cleeve Primary Academy attended 93.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 16.5% 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, 1.8% of pupils at Bishops Cleeve Primary Academy 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 Bishops Cleeve Primary Academy had 19.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 16.6% 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, 20.3% of pupils at Bishops Cleeve Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.6% 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 2024–25 Bishops Cleeve Primary Academy received £5,996 and spent £6,189 for each of its 610 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £467,000 (£765 per pupil).

Across all 11 schools of Gloucestershire Learning Alliance, income was £6,776 and spending £6,867 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Cheltenham · Gloucestershire local authority: places and applications

Bishops Cleeve Primary Academy is part of Gloucestershire Learning Alliance, which runs 11 schools. The nearest others:

• Tredington Community Primary School Tewkesbury
• Rowanfield Infant School Cheltenham
• Rowanfield Junior School Cheltenham
• Springbank Primary Academy Cheltenham
• Northway Infant School Tewkesbury
• Carrant Brook Junior School Tewkesbury
• Churchdown Village Infant School Gloucester
• Longford Park Primary Academy Gloucester
• Badsey First School Evesham
• Great Oldbury Primary Academy Stonehouse

What is Bishops Cleeve Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Bishops Cleeve Primary Academy is Good, from an inspection in June 2024.

When was Bishops Cleeve Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Bishops Cleeve Primary Academy was last inspected in June 2024.

How many pupils does Bishops Cleeve Primary Academy have?

Bishops Cleeve Primary Academy has 577 pupils on roll.

What age range does Bishops Cleeve Primary Academy cover?

Bishops Cleeve Primary Academy for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Bishops Cleeve Primary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 51% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Bishops Cleeve Primary Academy?

Bishops Cleeve Primary Academy is at Tobyfield Road, Bishops Cleeve, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL52 8NN.