Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled School

Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled School continues to maintain the high standards set in its previous inspection, demonstrating effective leadership and a strong commitment to pupil well-being. The school fosters a nurturing environment where students feel valued and engaged in their learning journey. With a focus on an ambitious and well-structured curriculum, pupils are provided with the necessary support to succeed academically, and they develop strong moral values and community spirit through various initiatives.

Strengths

• Pupils exhibit high engagement and positive behavior in lessons.
• The school provides effective support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
• There is a strong emphasis on pastoral care and pupil well-being.
• The curriculum is ambitious and well-sequenced for most subjects.
• Pupils feel proud to belong to the school and demonstrate a strong sense of community.

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum implementation in some wider subjects lacks consistency, affecting knowledge retention.

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 Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled School attended 95.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 10.1% 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, 2.0% of pupils at Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled 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 Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled School had 18.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 16.0% 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, 12.1% of pupils at Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled School 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 Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled School received £7,058 and spent £7,389 for each of its 99 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £20,000 (£205 per pupil).

Across all 19 schools of Initio Learning Trust, income was £7,286 and spending £7,320 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 Bridport · Dorset local authority: places and applications

Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled School is part of Initio Learning Trust, which runs 19 schools. The nearest others:

• Bridport, St Mary's Church of England Primary School Bridport
• Bridport Primary School Bridport
• The Sir John Colfox Academy Bridport
• St Mary's Church of England First School, Charminster Dorchester
• Lockyer's Middle School Wimborne
• Corfe Hills School Broadstone
• Pamphill Church of England First School Wimborne
• Queen Elizabeth's School Wimborne
• Witchampton Church of England First School Wimborne
• Allenbourn Middle School Wimborne

What is Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled School is Good, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled School last inspected by Ofsted?

Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled School was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled School have?

Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled School has 99 pupils on roll.

What age range does Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled School cover?

Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 64% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled School?

Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled School is at Church Street, Burton Bradstock, Bridport, Dorset, DT6 4QS.