Bridgewater Park Primary School

Bridgewater Park Primary is a small, inclusive school where pupils feel safe, cared for and known well. Most areas of the school's work are secure, and inclusion is a standout strength. Leaders' determination to include every child is a defining feature: pupils with SEND are identified quickly, supported precisely and included fully in school life. Behaviour, personal development, early years and leadership/governance are all positive, with warm relationships, good pastoral support and effective trust and governor oversight. The main concern is achievement. Pupils do not consistently achieve well by the end of key stage 2, and mathematics is weaker than reading and writing and has remained so over time. Many pupils leave without the secure mathematical knowledge and skills they need for secondary school. Handwriting is also often poor, and the curriculum is not yet consistently streamlined across all subjects, so some pupils do not retain essential knowledge and vocabulary. Context matters: the school serves a small pupil population with well above average levels of disadvantage and SEND support, is part of The Heath Family Trust, and has had a change in leadership. Attendance has improved but remains above national averages. Safeguarding standards are met. Leaders are taking action on the areas identified, and recent improvements in early years and phonics show capacity to improve outcomes.

Strengths

• Inclusion is a standout strength, with pupils' needs identified quickly and supported precisely.
• Staff are well trained to support pupils with SEND, who learn alongside their peers and are fully included.
• Leaders use additional funding effectively to support disadvantaged pupils and monitor its impact closely.
• Pupils enjoy school and behave well, with warm, fair and consistent relationships with staff.
• Attendance has improved through swift, family-focused action, particularly for vulnerable pupils.
• The curriculum prioritises early reading, writing and mathematics and helps pupils catch up when they fall behind.
• Teachers generally have strong subject expertise, and leaders check teaching quality consistently.
• Early years provision is well considered, with prompt phonics teaching and strong partnerships with families.
• Governance and trust oversight are knowledgeable, proactive and focused on pupils' best interests.
• Staff receive high-quality professional development and feel valued and well supported.
• Personal development is well sequenced, with strong pastoral support and varied enrichment opportunities.
• Pupils take on meaningful roles, including wellbeing ambassadors and junior safety officers, and are prepared for life in modern Britain.
• Safeguarding standards are met, and pupils feel safe and know how to report concerns.

Areas for Improvement

• Achievement needs attention because pupils do not consistently achieve well by the end of key stage 2.
• Mathematics attainment is weaker than reading and writing and has remained lower over time.
• Many pupils lack secure mathematics knowledge and skills for secondary school.
• Handwriting is often poor, with incorrect letter formation and limited fluency affecting written communication.
• Curriculum content is not consistently streamlined across all subjects, so some pupils do not retain essential knowledge and vocabulary.
• Some pupils are not well prepared for the next stage of education because knowledge recall is inconsistent.
• Absence and persistent absence remain above national averages, despite recent improvements.

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 Bridgewater Park Primary School attended 91.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 27.5% 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, 3.2% of pupils at Bridgewater Park 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 Bridgewater Park Primary School had 13.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 22.0% of pupils at Bridgewater Park Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.2% 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 2024–25 Bridgewater Park Primary School received £9,132 and spent £9,807 for each of its 92 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £183,000 (£2,003 per pupil).

Across all 8 schools of The Heath Family (North West), income was £8,879 and spending £8,893 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 Runcorn · Halton local authority: places and applications

Bridgewater Park Primary School is part of The Heath Family (North West), which runs 8 schools. The nearest others:

• Palace Fields Primary Academy Runcorn
• The Heath School Runcorn
• Daresbury Primary School Warrington
• Halsnead Primary School Prescot
• The Prescot School Liverpool
• Litherland Moss Primary School Liverpool
• Litherland High School Liverpool

What is Bridgewater Park Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Bridgewater Park Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in February 2026.

When was Bridgewater Park Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Bridgewater Park Primary School was last inspected in February 2026.

How many pupils does Bridgewater Park Primary School have?

Bridgewater Park Primary School has 91 pupils on roll.

What age range does Bridgewater Park Primary School cover?

Bridgewater Park Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Bridgewater Park Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 42% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Bridgewater Park Primary School?

Bridgewater Park Primary School is at Plantation Close, Castlefields, Bridgewater Park Primary School, Runcorn, Cheshire, WA7 2LW.