St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Bitteswell

St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Bitteswell is a welcoming and caring primary school where pupils enjoy learning and most achieve well. Inspectors judged all key areas to be good: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. The school has high expectations, a calm and orderly environment, positive staff-pupil relationships, and effective support for pupils' wider development. This was its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and its first section 5 inspection as an academy; it was previously judged outstanding before academy conversion and is part of Inspiring Primaries Academy Trust. Under current arrangements, no overall effectiveness grade is awarded.

Strengths

• Broad and ambitious curriculum carefully sequenced from early years to Year 6
• Strong phonics teaching and effective early reading support
• Accurate identification of SEND and effective support so most pupils with SEND achieve well
• Nurturing early years provision that develops communication and language well
• Calm, orderly environment with positive relationships and good pupil behaviour
• Well-planned personal development programme including clubs, trips, charity work and character development
• Effective leadership and governance with strong support for staff workload and well-being
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• Some teachers do not consistently use the school's agreed approach to delivering the curriculum
• In some subjects, explanations of new learning are not clear enough and checks for understanding are not careful enough
• Some pupils do not learn as well as they could in some subjects because curriculum delivery is inconsistent

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, Bitteswell attended 96.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 6.3% 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, 1.9% of pupils at St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Bitteswell 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, Bitteswell had 20.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 40.8% 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, 15.4% of pupils at St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Bitteswell were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 8.7% 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, Bitteswell received £7,543 and spent £7,295 for each of its 106 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £66,000 (£620 per pupil).

Across all 9 schools of Inspiring Primaries Academy Trust, income was £6,962 and spending £6,746 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 Lutterworth · Leicestershire local authority: places and applications

St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Bitteswell is part of Inspiring Primaries Academy Trust, which runs 9 schools. The nearest others:

• John Wycliffe Primary School Lutterworth
• Ullesthorpe Church of England Primary School Lutterworth
• Gilmorton Chandler Church of England Primary School Lutterworth
• Claybrooke Primary School Leicester
• Dunton Bassett Primary School Lutterworth
• Sharnford Church of England Primary School Hinckley
• All Saints Church of England Primary School, Sapcote Leicester
• St Margaret's Church of England Primary School, Stoke Golding Nuneaton

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

The latest Ofsted rating for St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Bitteswell is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

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

St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Bitteswell was last inspected in March 2025.

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

St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Bitteswell has 104 pupils on roll.

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

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

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

In 2025, 56% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

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

St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Bitteswell is at The Green, Bitteswell, Lutterworth, Leicestershire, LE17 4SB.