Walliscote Primary School

Walliscote Primary School is a larger-than-average primary in a highly deprived area with a high proportion of disadvantaged pupils and pupils who speak English as an additional language. Since the previous inspection, a new leadership team has been appointed and has quickly developed an accurate understanding of the school's strengths and priorities. The school is currently graded expected standard for attendance and behaviour, early years, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing, but needs attention in achievement, curriculum and teaching, and inclusion. The school's strengths include a positive and inclusive culture, strong early years provision, effective leadership that has improved attendance and reduced persistent absence, and a personal development programme that prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain. Pupils feel safe, behave well, and enjoy a range of enriching opportunities. Governance is effective, staff morale is high, and parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school. However, pupils' attainment in national tests at the end of key stage 2 has been below national average for most measures, including reading and mathematics, and phonics and multiplication check outcomes have also been below expected for several years. Some pupils, including those with SEND, have not made sufficient progress. Teaching is not consistently high quality, with insufficient adaptations for pupils with SEND, disadvantage, or EAL, and gaps in foundational knowledge are not always identified and closed. Leaders are taking decisive action, and improvements are beginning to be seen, but there remains significant work to do to ensure all pupils achieve well and are ready for their next stage of education.

Strengths

• Strong early years provision where children settle quickly, feel safe, and achieve well.
• Effective leadership that has improved attendance and significantly reduced persistent absence.
• A positive school culture where pupils behave well, follow clear routines, and rarely experience bullying.
• A broad and varied curriculum, including an ambitious new humanities curriculum.
• High-quality personal development programme covering relationships, consent, online safety, and fundamental British values.
• Inclusive opportunities for pupils with SEND, such as the SEND council, which builds confidence and teamwork.
• Supportive governance that provides appropriate scrutiny and monitors the impact of leaders' work.
• Staff are proud to work at the school and feel leaders protect their workload and wellbeing.
• Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school and its improvements.
• Effective use of additional funding to support disadvantaged pupils, with improving attainment and attendance for this group.
• Strong trust and local authority support that is helping to enhance provision.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils' attainment in key stage 2 national tests has been below national average for most measures, including reading and mathematics.
• Year 1 phonics screening and Year 4 multiplication check outcomes have been below expected for several years.
• Too many pupils, including some with SEND, have not made sufficient progress from their starting points.
• Some pupils do not benefit from consistently high quality teaching, with insufficient adaptations for SEND and other barriers to learning.
• Errors in foundational knowledge, such as spelling and handwriting, are not consistently identified and acted upon.
• Until recently, pupils' needs were not always quickly or accurately identified, leading to pupils falling behind.
• Classroom support for pupils with SEND, disadvantaged pupils, and those with EAL is inconsistent.
• Some learning plans are not precise enough, so barriers to learning and wellbeing are not always removed.
• Leaders need to ensure weaknesses and inconsistencies in teaching are rapidly addressed.
• Leaders need to ensure gaps in essential knowledge, including reading, handwriting, spoken language, and mathematics, are consistently identified and closed quickly.

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 Walliscote Primary School attended 92.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 21.1% 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, 1.3% of pupils at Walliscote 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 Walliscote Primary School had 20.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 27.5% 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, 22.9% of pupils at Walliscote Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.1% 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 Walliscote Primary School received £6,720 and spent £7,103 for each of its 306 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £151,000 (£492 per pupil).

Across all 9 schools of Extend Learning Academies Network, income was £7,731 and spending £7,803 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 Weston-Super-Mare · North Somerset local authority: places and applications

Walliscote Primary School is part of Extend Learning Academies Network, which runs 9 schools. The nearest others:

• Bournville Primary School Weston-Super-Mare
• Windwhistle Primary School Weston-Super-Mare
• Milton Park Primary School Weston-Super-Mare
• Oldmixon Primary School Weston-Super-Mare
• Mead Vale Community Primary School Weston-Super-Mare
• Mendip Green Primary School Weston-Super-Mare
• Locking Primary School Weston-Super-Mare
• Banwell Primary School Banwell

What is Walliscote Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Walliscote Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Walliscote Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Walliscote Primary School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Walliscote Primary School have?

Walliscote Primary School has 275 pupils on roll.

What age range does Walliscote Primary School cover?

Walliscote Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 49% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Walliscote Primary School?

Walliscote Primary School is at Walliscote Road, Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset, BS23 1UY.