Bransgore Church of England Primary School

Bransgore Church of England Primary School is a stand-alone academy trust that has experienced leadership turbulence, with the headteacher taking up post in January 2025. Inspectors judged the school to be providing the expected standard across all evaluated areas, and safeguarding standards are met. Pupils achieve well overall, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and they are well prepared for the next stage of their education. Attendance is strong, behaviour is calm and respectful, and pupils feel safe, cared for and valued. The school's strengths include a strong reading culture, effective early years provision, inclusive practice, and secure leadership and governance. Staff know pupils well, relationships are nurturing, and personal development and wellbeing are well supported. Leaders have a clear understanding of priorities and prioritise staff wellbeing and professional development. Areas for further development remain. Pupils' writing fluency, particularly spelling and letter formation, is not consistently in line with the school's high expectations, and gaps persist for some disadvantaged pupils in writing. Staff are not yet consistently checking and deepening pupils' understanding so gaps and misconceptions are addressed promptly. Knowledge in some wider curriculum subjects is less developed than in others, and leaders need to continue engaging parents and carers with whole-school priorities.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve well overall and are ready for the next stage of their education.
• Disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND progress well from their starting points.
• Reading is a priority, with carefully chosen texts and skilled support for fluency.
• Children in the early years get off to a positive start and are well prepared for Year 1.
• Staff prioritise language and communication and model vocabulary effectively.
• Attendance is broadly in line with or above national averages for all groups of pupils.
• Pupils behave well, are enthusiastic about learning, and playtimes are joyful with little disruption.
• The school promotes an inclusive culture with high expectations and tailored support for vulnerable pupils.
• Leaders and governors have a secure understanding of the school's strengths and priorities.
• Staff feel valued and benefit from a well-structured professional development programme.
• Personal development and pastoral support are effective in helping pupils become confident and kind.
• Pupils feel safe, have a secure sense of belonging and benefit from a wide range of opportunities.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils' writing fluency, including spelling and letter formation, is not yet consistently in line with the school's high expectations.
• Staff do not yet check and deepen pupils' understanding consistently well enough to address gaps and misconceptions promptly.
• Pupils' knowledge is more detailed in some wider curriculum subjects than in others.
• Disadvantaged pupils' writing outcomes are below national average and gaps in writing and mathematics remain.
• Leaders need to continue working purposefully with parents and carers so whole-school priorities are understood.

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 Bransgore Church of England Primary School attended 95.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.1% 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, 0.6% of pupils at Bransgore 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 Bransgore Church of England Primary School had 22.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 9.9% 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, 11.7% of pupils at Bransgore Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.8% 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 2024–25 Bransgore Church of England Primary School received £6,433 and spent £6,476 for each of its 353 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £134,000 (£380 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.

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

The latest Ofsted rating for Bransgore Church of England Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in July 2026.

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

Bransgore Church of England Primary School was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Bransgore Church of England Primary School have?

Bransgore Church of England Primary School has 351 pupils on roll.

What age range does Bransgore Church of England Primary School cover?

Bransgore Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 70% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Bransgore Church of England Primary School?

Bransgore Church of England Primary School is at Ringwood Road, Bransgore, Christchurch, Dorset, BH23 8JH.