Fishponds CofE Primary School

Fishponds CofE Primary School is a Church of England primary that joined the Lighthouse Schools Partnership in January 2025. It includes a SEN unit (Reef) for pupils with speech, language and communication needs and an inclusion base (Corals) for pupils with SEND. The school serves a community with high levels of disadvantage and SEND. Since joining the trust, leaders have made significant improvements to the curriculum, teaching and early years provision, and inclusion is a notable strength. Pupils benefit from a nurturing environment, effective support for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, and a wide range of enrichment activities. However, the school is not yet meeting expected standards overall. Achievement, attendance and behaviour, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing all require attention. Too many pupils, especially disadvantaged pupils, leave without the knowledge they need for secondary school, and published outcomes are below national averages. Attendance is poor, with many pupils arriving late and persistent absence well above national levels. Behaviour at playtimes is a concern, and some pupils experience racist, homophobic or misogynistic language. The personal development programme lacks cohesion and does not adequately prepare pupils for life beyond school, particularly in developing respect and understanding of fundamental British values. Trust and school leaders are aware of these issues and have begun to act, but their actions have not yet had sufficient impact. Staff feel well supported, parents generally recognise the positive changes, and safeguarding standards are met. The school is on a positive trajectory but needs swift, effective action to improve attendance, behaviour, personal development and achievement for all pupils.

Strengths

• Curriculum now prioritises basic skills and builds knowledge sequentially across a broad range of subjects.
• Consistent teaching approach ensures pupils learn agreed knowledge at each stage.
• Effective foundational teaching in communication, reading, handwriting, spelling, punctuation and basic number.
• Teachers adapt teaching well so all pupils, including those with SEND, keep up in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Early years provision is strong, with children achieving well and ready for Year 1.
• Nurturing and inclusive environment helps pupils feel safe, welcome and ready to learn.
• Inclusion support for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND is well matched to needs.
• Staff are well trained to understand and adapt for pupils' needs.
• Pupils enjoy learning, and achievement is improving, including for those with EAL.
• Comprehensive pastoral care prioritises pupils' wellbeing.
• Wide range of enrichment activities develops talents and interests.
• Pupils value learning about diverse cultures and global heritage.
• Staff feel well supported in workload and wellbeing, and value professional learning.
• Trust and governance provide effective support and challenge.
• Safeguarding standards are met.

Areas for Improvement

• Too many pupils, especially disadvantaged pupils, leave without the knowledge needed for secondary school.
• Published outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics are below national averages.
• Disadvantaged pupils' achievement gap is large and persistent.
• Pupils' knowledge is not sufficiently deep in some curriculum areas, such as science and history.
• Attendance is poor and persistent absence is well above national averages.
• Leaders' attendance strategy has not yet made enough difference.
• Too many pupils arrive late, missing the calm start to the day.
• Some pupils behave poorly, particularly at playtimes.
• Discriminatory behaviour and harassment, including racist, homophobic and misogynistic language, are not adequately addressed.
• Personal development programme lacks cohesion and does not develop understanding of respect well enough.
• Fundamental British values are not well developed in pupils.
• Relationships and sex education is not taught effectively, leaving some pupils with limited understanding of consent.
• Some pupils lack a responsible attitude to online safety.
• Playtime activities do not fully benefit all pupils, particularly some girls.
• Leaders' actions to eliminate discriminatory language are not strategic enough.
• Some older pupils have underdeveloped foundational skills.
• Overall absence and persistent absence rates are above national averages.

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 Fishponds CofE Primary School attended 93.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 19.8% 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 Fishponds CofE 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 Fishponds CofE Primary School had 16.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.0% 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, 28.4% of pupils at Fishponds CofE Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 7.7% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has a SEN unit with 16 pupils and resourced provision with 8 pupils.

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 2023–24 Fishponds CofE Primary School received £8,583 and spent £7,179 for each of its 328 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £33,000 (£101 per pupil).

Across all 32 schools of Lighthouse Schools Partnership, income was £6,953 and spending £6,614 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

Fishponds CofE Primary School is part of Lighthouse Schools Partnership, which runs 33 schools. The nearest others:

• Easton CofE Primary School Bristol
• Horfield Church of England Primary School Bristol
• St Mary Redcliffe Church of England Primary School Bristol
• Whitchurch Primary School Bristol
• Northleaze Church of England Primary School Bristol
• St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Portbury Bristol
• Stanton Drew Primary School Bristol
• Flax Bourton Church of England Primary School Bristol
• Winford Church of England Primary School Bristol
• Chew Valley School Bristol

What is Fishponds CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Fishponds CofE Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Fishponds CofE Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Fishponds CofE Primary School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Fishponds CofE Primary School have?

Fishponds CofE Primary School has 310 pupils on roll.

What age range does Fishponds CofE Primary School cover?

Fishponds CofE Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Fishponds CofE Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

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

Where is Fishponds CofE Primary School?

Fishponds CofE Primary School is at Fishponds Road, Fishponds, Bristol, Bristol, BS16 3UH.