Badsey First School

Badsey First School has improved significantly since its previous inspection and is now performing strongly across its key areas. Pupils arrive happy, feel safe and are cared for by staff who know them well. Behaviour is exceptional, early years provision is outstanding, and leadership is highly effective, with clear priorities and rapid improvements supported by The GLA Trust. The curriculum has been strengthened, early reading is a particular strength, and pupils with SEND are identified and supported well so they can access the same curriculum as their peers. Pupils benefit from a broad personal-development offer, including clubs, trips and enrichment, and they are well prepared for life in modern Britain. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. The main area for improvement is writing in the earliest stages: expectations do not always match pupils' phonics knowledge, and some pupils are given writing tasks that are too difficult, which limits the secure development of handwriting, transcription and other foundational writing skills. The report asks the school to ensure writing is taught coherently and sequentially so that all pupils secure the vital foundations for future success. Overall, this is a harmonious, well-led school with strong relationships and high expectations, with writing as the key focus for further development.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, feel safe and benefit from warm, caring relationships with trusted adults.
• Behaviour and attitudes are exceptional, with pupils polite, focused and consistently following the school values.
• Early years provision is outstanding, offering exciting, well-planned learning and an environment that builds independence.
• Early reading is strong, with prompt identification and support for pupils who fall behind.
• Pupils with SEND are identified quickly and supported well to learn alongside their peers.
• Leadership is highly effective, with clear priorities and rapid improvement supported by the trust.
• The curriculum builds effectively from early years and helps pupils deepen understanding across subjects and year groups.
• Personal development is well supported through clubs, trips, visits and enrichment that broaden pupils' experience.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• Staff work cohesively and feel valued as part of the school community.

Areas for Improvement

• Writing expectations do not always align with pupils' phonics knowledge, so some early writers are given tasks that are too difficult.
• Some pupils are not securing foundational writing skills, including handwriting and transcription, in a coherent and sequential way.

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 Badsey First School attended 95.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.2% 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, 2.8% of pupils at Badsey First 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 Badsey First School had 13.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 15.2% 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, 18.0% of pupils at Badsey First School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.5% 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 Badsey First School received £7,540 and spent £7,617 for each of its 142 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £109,000 (£765 per pupil).

Across all 11 schools of Gloucestershire Learning Alliance, income was £6,776 and spending £6,867 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 Evesham · Worcestershire local authority: places and applications

Badsey First School is part of Gloucestershire Learning Alliance, which runs 11 schools. The nearest others:

• Carrant Brook Junior School Tewkesbury
• Northway Infant School Tewkesbury
• Bishops Cleeve Primary Academy Cheltenham
• Tredington Community Primary School Tewkesbury
• Rowanfield Infant School Cheltenham
• Rowanfield Junior School Cheltenham
• Springbank Primary Academy Cheltenham
• Churchdown Village Infant School Gloucester
• Longford Park Primary Academy Gloucester
• Great Oldbury Primary Academy Stonehouse

What is Badsey First School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Badsey First School is Good, from an inspection in September 2025.

When was Badsey First School last inspected by Ofsted?

Badsey First School was last inspected in September 2025.

How many pupils does Badsey First School have?

Badsey First School has 122 pupils on roll.

What age range does Badsey First School cover?

Badsey First School for pupils aged 5 to 10.

Where is Badsey First School?

Badsey First School is at School Lane, Badsey, Evesham, Worcestershire, WR11 7ES.