Backwell Church of England Junior School

Backwell Church of England Junior School was judged good in each of the four key judgements at this inspection. Pupils enjoy school, attend well and behave respectfully; they benefit from a strong family feel, high expectations and a wide range of enrichment, leadership, music and sport opportunities. Parents are overwhelmingly positive, and pupils achieve particularly well in some subjects, including reading and science, while recent work on the English and mathematics curriculums is proving successful. The school identifies SEND accurately and generally provides effective support, including bespoke curriculums for pupils with the most complex needs. However, inspectors found that oversight of some important aspects of the school’s work is not detailed enough. Safeguarding is effective but some minor improvements are needed because practice and record-keeping have been inconsistent and trust procedures have not always been followed promptly and consistently. Curriculum refinement in a few subjects is not yet complete, so some pupils have gaps in knowledge or are not moved on when ready. Similarly, for a small number of pupils with complex needs, teaching is not always adapted sharply enough to address all aspects of their individual targets. The report notes that this was the school’s first routine inspection since the pandemic and its first section 5 inspection since becoming an academy; it is part of the Lighthouse Schools Partnership and is federated with West Leigh Infant School. Under current arrangements, no overall effectiveness grade was awarded.

Strengths

• Pupils enjoy school, attend well and behave respectfully in lessons and social times.
• There is a strong family feel, and pupils of all ages play well together.
• Leaders and the trust have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for refinement.
• The governing body holds the school to account for continuous improvement.
• Staff have strong subject knowledge, and pupils achieve exceptionally well in some subjects, including reading and science.
• Recent changes to the English and mathematics curriculums are proving successful, including phonics and spelling.
• Pupils become capable mathematicians who tackle complex problems with confidence.
• Staff routinely check understanding and address misconceptions successfully.
• SEND needs are identified accurately, and most staff use effective strategies to scaffold access to the full curriculum.
• Pupils with the most complex needs receive bespoke curriculums that help them progress well over time.
• The personal development curriculum is comprehensive, teaching respect, healthy relationships and healthy lifestyles.
• Enrichment, leadership opportunities, music, sport and community activities broaden pupils’ experiences well.
• Almost every parent or carer would recommend the school to another parent.

Areas for Improvement

• The school does not have detailed enough oversight of some important aspects of its work.
• Safeguarding practice and record-keeping have been inconsistent, and trust procedures have not always been followed.
• Bespoke curriculums for pupils with the most complex needs are not always implemented consistently to address all individual targets.
• Curriculum refinement in a few subjects is incomplete, leaving some pupils with knowledge gaps or not moving them on when ready.
• A small number of pupils with complex needs do not always practise the most essential next knowledge.
• Some minor improvements to safeguarding arrangements are required.

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 Backwell Church of England Junior School attended 96.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 4.3% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Backwell Church of England Junior 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 Backwell Church of England Junior School had 23.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.4% 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, 4.8% of pupils at Backwell Church of England Junior School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.6% 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 Backwell Church of England Junior School received £6,081 and spent £5,732 for each of its 228 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £280,000 (£1,228 per pupil).

Across all 33 schools of Lighthouse Schools Partnership, income was £6,883 and spending £6,752 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 Bristol · North Somerset local authority: places and applications

Backwell Church of England Junior School is part of Lighthouse Schools Partnership, which runs 33 schools. The nearest others:

• Backwell School Bristol
• West Leigh Infant School Bristol
• Flax Bourton Church of England Primary School Bristol
• Golden Valley Primary School Bristol
• Hannah More Infant School Nailsea
• Grove Junior School Nailsea
• Wrington Church of England Primary School Bristol
• Winford Church of England Primary School Bristol
• Northleaze Church of England Primary School Bristol
• Yatton Church of England Junior School Bristol

What is Backwell Church of England Junior School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Backwell Church of England Junior School is Good, from an inspection in December 2024.

When was Backwell Church of England Junior School last inspected by Ofsted?

Backwell Church of England Junior School was last inspected in December 2024.

How many pupils does Backwell Church of England Junior School have?

Backwell Church of England Junior School has 230 pupils on roll.

What age range does Backwell Church of England Junior School cover?

Backwell Church of England Junior School for pupils aged 7 to 11.

What are Backwell Church of England Junior School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 64% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Backwell Church of England Junior School?

Backwell Church of England Junior School is at Church Lane, Backwell, North Somerset, Bristol, BS48 3JJ.