West Town Lane Academy

West Town Lane Academy demonstrates effective practices that maintain the high standards previously recognized in its last inspection. The school fosters a supportive and nurturing environment which contributes to pupils' development into confident and resilient individuals. With an emphasis on reading and a curriculum designed to engage students, the school has successfully created an atmosphere where students feel safe and are eager to learn. Clear leadership and strategic planning at all levels help drive school improvement, ensuring that educational quality is continuously refined.

Strengths

• Strong emphasis on reading and a rich literary environment
• Effective use of external expertise for staff professional development
• Caring and supportive school ethos fostered by staff
• Strategically driven leadership ensuring high educational standards
• Positive behavior culture with pupils feeling safe and respected
• Good support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities
• Wide range of extracurricular activities enhancing student experiences

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils, including disadvantaged ones, lack adequate support in reading
• Assessment information for pupils below expectations does not always identify precise next steps

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 West Town Lane Academy attended 94.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 10.7% 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, 0.3% of pupils at West Town Lane 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 West Town Lane Academy had 22.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 4.1% 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, 12.6% of pupils at West Town Lane Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.0% 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 West Town Lane Academy received £6,078 and spent £6,086 for each of its 641 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £547,000 (£853 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 Bristol · Bristol, City of local authority: places and applications

What is West Town Lane Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for West Town Lane Academy is Good, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was West Town Lane Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

West Town Lane Academy was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does West Town Lane Academy have?

West Town Lane Academy has 634 pupils on roll.

What age range does West Town Lane Academy cover?

West Town Lane Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are West Town Lane Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 56% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is West Town Lane Academy?

West Town Lane Academy is at West Town Lane, Brislington, Bristol, BS4 5DT.