Flax Bourton Church of England Primary School

Flax Bourton Church of England Primary School is a good school overall, with inspectors judging all key areas good. This was its first section 5 inspection, although the school had previously been judged outstanding before opening as an academy; it is now part of Lighthouse Schools Partnership. Pupils enjoy learning, attendance is high, most behave well, and the early years provision is a particular strength. Phonics teaching is highly effective, older pupils are courteous and articulate, and personal development is thoughtfully organised around character development and community links. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. Leaders have raised expectations and improved the curriculum, which is ambitious and logically sequenced so pupils build and recall knowledge well. Most pupils reach the expected standard in English and mathematics by the end of key stage 2, and staff value the training and regular feedback that support teaching improvements. However, too few pupils reach the higher standard in English and mathematics, and teaching does not always use assessment information well enough to adapt tasks, meaning some work is too easy and does not deepen pupils’ understanding. The school has improved how it identifies pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, but support is not consistently implemented: targets are sometimes not precise enough and required adaptations are not always made, so some pupils with SEND do not learn the curriculum as well as they could. A minority of parents do not feel their concerns are dealt with effectively, although governors and the trust are aware of this and ensure concerns are handled through trust policies.

Strengths

• Pupils are eager to learn and attendance is high.
• Most pupils behave well, and staff deal effectively with any poor behaviour.
• Early years provision is a strength, helping children settle and learn well.
• Phonics is taught to a high standard, reflected in strong 2024 screening check outcomes.
• The curriculum is ambitious and logically sequenced, helping pupils build and recall knowledge.
• Staff training and regular feedback are valued and help improve teaching.
• Personal development is effective, with character development at its heart.
• Pupils benefit from strong community links, assemblies, the school council and buddy systems.
• Most pupils achieve the expected standard in English and mathematics by the end of key stage 2.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Too few pupils achieve the higher standard in English and mathematics by the end of key stage 2.
• Teachers do not always use assessment information to adapt teaching, so some work is too easy and does not deepen understanding.
• Support for pupils with SEND is inconsistent, with targets sometimes not precise enough and required adaptations not always made.
• Some pupils with SEND do not learn the curriculum as well as they could because support is not routinely provided.
• A minority of parents do not feel their concerns are dealt with effectively.

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 Flax Bourton Church of England Primary School attended 96.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 5.8% 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, 0.5% of pupils at Flax Bourton Church of England 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 Flax Bourton Church of England Primary School had 22.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 26.0% 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, 3.6% of pupils at Flax Bourton Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.6% 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 Flax Bourton Church of England Primary School received £6,718 and spent £6,625 for each of its 193 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £108,000 (£558 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

Flax Bourton Church of England Primary School is part of Lighthouse Schools Partnership, which runs 33 schools. The nearest others:

• Backwell Church of England Junior School Bristol
• Backwell School Bristol
• West Leigh Infant School Bristol
• Golden Valley Primary School Bristol
• Northleaze Church of England Primary School Bristol
• Hannah More Infant School Nailsea
• Grove Junior School Nailsea
• Winford Church of England Primary School Bristol
• St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Portbury Bristol
• Gordano School Bristol

What is Flax Bourton Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Flax Bourton Church of England Primary School is Good, from an inspection in May 2025.

When was Flax Bourton Church of England Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Flax Bourton Church of England Primary School was last inspected in May 2025.

How many pupils does Flax Bourton Church of England Primary School have?

Flax Bourton Church of England Primary School has 193 pupils on roll.

What age range does Flax Bourton Church of England Primary School cover?

Flax Bourton Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Flax Bourton Church of England Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 60% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Flax Bourton Church of England Primary School?

Flax Bourton Church of England Primary School is at Station Road, Flax Bourton, Bristol, BS48 1UA.