St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Portbury

St Mary’s Church of England Primary School, Portbury is a small primary academy within the Lighthouse Schools Partnership and is federated with another local primary school. This was its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and under the current framework it received no overall effectiveness grade. Inspectors found the school performing well across quality of education, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision, with behaviour and attitudes standing out as exceptional. Pupils love coming to school, show highly positive attitudes and exceptional manners, and benefit from strong relationships and a caring, inclusive culture. The curriculum is ambitious and builds on prior learning, reading is prioritised, pupils with SEND are identified and supported effectively, attendance has improved, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. The trust and governing board are effective in holding leaders to account and supporting staff workload and well-being.

Strengths

• Pupils show highly positive attitudes to learning and exceptional manners around school
• Strong relationships between staff and pupils create a caring, safe environment
• The curriculum is ambitious and clearly sequenced to build on prior learning
• Reading is prioritised and pupils read a wide variety of texts
• Pupils with SEND are identified effectively and teaching is adapted so all pupils can learn
• Pupils take pride in responsibilities such as play leaders, house captains and school chaplains
• Attendance has improved over time, including for vulnerable groups
• Personal development teaches pupils how to stay safe online, support their mental health and understand healthier lifestyles
• Early years children have a secure sense of number and benefit from well-designed learning
• Trust and governance are effective in supporting and challenging the school

Areas for Improvement

• Some staff do not check pupils’ knowledge of sounds well enough when they are reading, so misconceptions are not always addressed
• Pupils’ reading fluency and confidence can stall when incorrect sounds are not corrected promptly

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 St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Portbury attended 96.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 3.8% 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, 0.0% of pupils at St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Portbury 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 St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Portbury had 22.3 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, 4.8% of pupils at St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Portbury were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.0% 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 St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Portbury received £8,414 and spent £7,769 for each of its 80 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £82,000 (£1,030 per pupil).

Across all 33 schools of Lighthouse Schools Partnership, income was £6,883 and spending £6,752 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 · North Somerset local authority: places and applications

St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Portbury is part of Lighthouse Schools Partnership, which runs 33 schools. The nearest others:

• St Peter's Church of England Primary School Portishead
• Portishead Primary School Portishead
• Gordano School Bristol
• High Down Junior School Bristol
• High Down Infant School Portishead
• Golden Valley Primary School Bristol
• Flax Bourton Church of England Primary School Bristol
• Hannah More Infant School Nailsea
• Grove Junior School Nailsea
• Northleaze Church of England Primary School Bristol

What is St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Portbury's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Portbury is Good, from an inspection in December 2024.

When was St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Portbury last inspected by Ofsted?

St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Portbury was last inspected in December 2024.

How many pupils does St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Portbury have?

St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Portbury has 83 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Portbury cover?

St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Portbury for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Portbury's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 86% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Portbury?

St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Portbury is at Church Lane, Portbury, Bristol, Somerset, BS20 7TR.