Bardwell Church of England Primary School

Bardwell Church of England Primary School is a small school within the Tilian Partnership Trust, with 59 pupils on roll and very small cohorts. Inspectors found it meeting expected standards across achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing, with safeguarding standards met. National assessment outcomes have varied in recent years, partly because of small cohorts; in 2025 outcomes were broadly in line with national averages and Year 1 phonics was slightly above average, though writing remains a focus. Pupils with SEND and those facing barriers typically achieve well from their starting points. Behaviour is a clear strength: pupils behave very well, bullying is rare, and staff act quickly when concerns arise. Attendance is broadly in line with national averages, and leaders track absence closely and support pupils to attend regularly. The curriculum is well sequenced, early reading and phonics are prioritised, and inclusion is strong, with effective support for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils. Personal development is well structured, with pupils taking part in clubs, arts, sport and leadership roles. The main areas for improvement are writing and curriculum consistency. Some pupils have gaps in handwriting and spelling because these have not been addressed quickly enough, and teachers need further guidance so the curriculum is taught consistently well across all subjects. Pupils’ understanding of some areas, such as diversity and safety, is less secure because teachers have not systematically revisited prior learning, particularly in PSHE. Leaders should ensure prior learning is checked systematically, writing gaps are addressed precisely, and staff have the subject knowledge needed across all curriculum areas.

Strengths

• Pupils behave very well and understand the school’s rules.
• Bullying is rare and staff act quickly and fairly when concerns arise.
• Attendance is broadly in line with national averages and improving over time.
• Early reading and phonics are taught consistently and effectively.
• The curriculum is well organised and clearly sequenced.
• Pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils are well included and supported.
• Leaders use additional funding effectively to support disadvantaged pupils.
• Personal development is well structured and responsive to pupils’ needs.
• Pupils take part in a wide range of clubs, trips, music, sport and arts.
• Pupils develop strong social and moral awareness and positive relationships.
• Leadership and governance are effective, with strong trust and governor support.
• Staff value leaders’ support for workload and wellbeing.
• Safeguarding standards are met.
• Pupils are proud of their work and talk confidently about their learning.

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils have gaps in handwriting and spelling because these have not been addressed quickly enough.
• Teachers need further guidance and support to teach the curriculum consistently well across all subjects.
• Pupils’ understanding of some curriculum areas, such as diversity and safety, is less secure because teachers have not provided enough opportunities to recap previous learning.
• Leaders should ensure teachers check and revisit pupils’ prior learning systematically across the curriculum, particularly in PSHE.
• Leaders should ensure teachers identify and address gaps in pupils’ handwriting and spelling more precisely.
• Leaders should ensure staff have the subject knowledge they need across all curriculum areas so teaching consistently supports pupils to learn and build knowledge securely.

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 Bardwell Church of England Primary School attended 96.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.3% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Bardwell 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 Bardwell Church of England Primary School had 16.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 23.3% 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, 13.0% of pupils at Bardwell Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.9% 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 Bardwell Church of England Primary School received £9,303 and spent £8,546 for each of its 59 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £162,000 (£2,749 per pupil).

Across all 15 schools of The Tilian Partnership, income was £6,916 and spending £6,928 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 Bury St Edmunds · Suffolk local authority: places and applications

Bardwell Church of England Primary School is part of The Tilian Partnership, which runs 15 schools. The nearest others:

• Ixworth Church of England Primary School Bury St. Edmunds
• Thurston Church of England Primary Academy Bury St. Edmunds
• Great Barton Church of England Primary Academy Bury St Edmunds
• Rougham Church of England Primary School Bury St. Edmunds
• Gislingham Church of England Primary School Eye
• Crawford's Church of England Primary School Stowmarket
• Rattlesden Church of England Primary Academy Bury St Edmunds
• Old Newton Church of England Primary School Stowmarket
• Palgrave Church of England Primary School Nr Diss
• Wilby Church of England Primary School Eye

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

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

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

Bardwell Church of England Primary School was last inspected in September 2026.

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

Bardwell Church of England Primary School has 54 pupils on roll.

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

Bardwell Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 5 to 11.

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

In 2025, 43% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Bardwell Church of England Primary School?

Bardwell Church of England Primary School is at School Lane, Bardwell, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP31 1AD.