Northgate Primary School

Northgate Primary School is performing strongly overall. Pupils love attending, feel safe and behave exceptionally well, and the school has a calm, purposeful learning environment. Early years provision and personal development and wellbeing are particular strengths: children get a strong start, especially in speech, language, communication and phonics, and the school provides rich pastoral support, wide experiences and a strong programme for pupils' wider development. Attendance is close to national averages, and disadvantaged pupils achieve well, especially by the end of key stage 2. The school is part of Futura Learning Partnership and has a specially resourced SEND provision called 'adventurers', as well as pre-school provision for two-year-olds. It serves a community with above-average free school meals eligibility. Safeguarding standards are met. Leadership is passionate and well regarded by staff, and governors and trustees provide effective oversight. There are still areas to improve. Teachers do not consistently adapt the curriculum well enough for some pupils with SEND or other barriers, so these pupils do not always progress as well as they should. Leaders should also continue to strengthen handwriting, number formation and spelling across the wider curriculum, as some pupils' written work still contains persistent errors.

Strengths

• Early years provision gives children strong foundations, with highly effective parent relationships and a curriculum centred on oracy, speech, language and communication.
• Phonics teaching is effective, and children quickly develop positive reading habits.
• Personal development and wellbeing provision is high quality, with excellent pastoral support, including for young carers.
• Pupils' behaviour is exemplary, and they show excellent attitudes to learning in a calm and purposeful environment.
• Attendance is close to the national average, and leaders are relentless in removing barriers to regular attendance.
• Disadvantaged pupils achieve well, particularly at the end of key stage 2.
• The school has an inclusive culture and effective support for pupils with SEND, including in the 'adventurers' provision.
• Leadership and governance are strong, with accurate self-evaluation, high expectations and positive staff morale.
• Pupils benefit from a broad range of trips, residentials and extra-curricular clubs.
• Pupils feel safe, trust staff and have a strong understanding of respect, tolerance and fundamental British values.

Areas for Improvement

• Teachers do not always adapt the curriculum well enough for some pupils with SEND or other barriers, meaning these pupils do not progress as well as they should.
• The approach to securing handwriting, number formation and spelling has not yet had consistent impact across the wider curriculum, so errors in some pupils' written work persist.
• Leaders know there is more to do to ensure curriculum adaptations help pupils with SEND progress well from their starting points.

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 Northgate Primary School attended 95.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 13.4% 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, 1.5% of pupils at Northgate 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 Northgate Primary School had 17.7 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, 17.8% of pupils at Northgate Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.4% 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 Northgate Primary School received £8,240 and spent £8,103 for each of its 257 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £84,000 (£327 per pupil).

Across all 26 schools of Futura Learning Partnership, income was £7,630 and spending £7,598 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 Bridgwater · Somerset local authority: places and applications

Northgate Primary School is part of Futura Learning Partnership, which runs 26 schools. The nearest others:

• Westover Green Community School and Autism Centre Bridgwater
• Chilton Trinity School Bridgwater
• Willowdown Primary School Bridgwater
• Puriton Primary School Bridgwater
• Woolavington Village Primary School Bridgwater
• Chestnut Park Primary Yatton
• Mary Elton Primary School North Somerset
• Yeo Moor Primary School Clevedon
• St Nicholas Chantry Church of England Primary School Clevedon
• All Saints Church of England Primary School Clevedon

What is Northgate Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Northgate Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Northgate Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Northgate Primary School was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Northgate Primary School have?

Northgate Primary School has 258 pupils on roll.

What age range does Northgate Primary School cover?

Northgate Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Northgate Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 79% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Northgate Primary School?

Northgate Primary School is at Northgate, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA6 3EU.