Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy

Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy is a good school overall, with outstanding behaviour and attitudes and good quality of education, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. Pupils love learning, behave exceptionally well, attend regularly and are well prepared for the next stage of their education. The school sits at the heart of its community, has strong church and charity links, and parents are extremely positive about it. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are particularly well supported, and reading and phonics are carefully structured and successful. The school has an ambitious and well-organised curriculum in most subjects, and teachers deliver it consistently. In a small number of subjects, however, the curriculum is less clearly organised across year groups, so teachers are not always sure what knowledge to teach and emphasise, and pupils do not secure new knowledge as well as they could. This is the main area for improvement identified by inspectors. The early years provision is good, attendance is high, and personal development is well catered for through visits, forest school, clubs, residentials and work on wellbeing and British values. Safeguarding is effective. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic. It is an academy converter within the St Chad’s Academies Trust, and the local academy committee and trust are described as supportive and well informed. Under the inspection framework used, no overall effectiveness grade was given, but the school’s previous inspection grade was good.

Strengths

• Pupils love learning and are well prepared for the next stage of their education
• Behaviour is exemplary throughout the school
• Pupils are exceptionally well mannered and courteous to adults and each other
• The school has high expectations of all pupils, including those with SEND
• Pupils with SEND are particularly well catered for and learn well alongside their peers
• The curriculum is ambitious and well organised in the majority of subjects
• Teachers deliver the curriculum consistently and address misconceptions quickly
• Pupils have plenty of opportunities to practise and revise prior learning
• The approach to reading and phonics is carefully structured and successful
• Children in the early years settle quickly and become independent learners
• Attendance is a high priority and pupils have high rates of attendance
• Personal development is well catered for through visits, events and experiences
• Pupils develop secure knowledge of physical and mental wellbeing and British values
• Pupils make a valuable contribution through leadership responsibilities
• Strong community links and school values of love, friendship, compassion, courage and justice
• Parents and carers are extremely positive about the school
• The local academy committee and trust support the school well
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• In a minority of subjects, the curriculum is not organised as well as it could be and does not build methodically across year groups
• In these subjects, teachers are not always sure what knowledge to teach and emphasise, so pupils do not secure new knowledge as well as they could

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 Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy attended 96.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 6.5% 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, 0.4% of pupils at Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy 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 Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy had 22.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 26.3% 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, 10.5% of pupils at Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.8% 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 Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy received £7,249 and spent £7,586 for each of its 248 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £8,000 (-£33 per pupil).

Across all 19 schools of St Chad'S Academies Trust, income was £6,975 and spending £7,330 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 Stafford · Staffordshire local authority: places and applications

Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy is part of St Chad'S Academies Trust, which runs 19 schools. The nearest others:

• St John's CofE Primary Academy Stafford
• St Matthews Church of England Academy Stoke-On-Trent
• St Mary's CofE First Academy Wheaton Aston
• Christ Church CofE Primary Academy Stoke-On-Trent
• Brewood Middle CofE Academy Stafford
• Churchfield CofE Primary Academy Rugeley
• St Peter's Bratton Church of England Academy Telford
• Havergal CofE (C) Primary School Wolverhampton
• Dawley Church of England Primary Academy Telford
• St James Church of England Primary Academy Rugeley

What is Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy is Good, from an inspection in December 2024.

When was Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy was last inspected in December 2024.

How many pupils does Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy have?

Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy has 287 pupils on roll.

What age range does Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy cover?

Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 72% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy?

Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy is at Shaws Lane, Eccleshall, Stafford, Staffordshire, ST21 6AU.