Brackenwood Junior School

Brackenwood Junior School has demonstrated an overall good performance in its first inspection since becoming an academy. The school boasts a positive environment where pupils feel safe and enjoy their learning experiences. Noteworthy strengths include effective leadership and a strong emphasis on reading, with adapted support for pupils with special educational needs. The curriculum has seen notable improvements, particularly in most subjects, enhancing the quality of education for the pupils. However, there are some areas within the curriculum that still require development to ensure that all knowledge is clearly defined and delivered effectively to support pupil learning.

Strengths

• Pupils enjoy a welcoming and upbeat atmosphere at the school.
• Leaders have made noticeable improvements to the curriculum.
• Strong emphasis on reading, with well-trained staff teaching phonics effectively.
• Pupils with SEND receive well-adapted support to learn alongside their peers.
• Pupils show a strong awareness of fundamental British values.
• High-quality texts in class libraries engage a wide range of reading tastes.

Areas for Improvement

• Some subjects lack clarity on the knowledge pupils should acquire, hindering effective learning.

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 Brackenwood Junior School attended 95.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 11.7% 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 Brackenwood 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 Brackenwood Junior School had 19.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 24.3% 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, 30.2% of pupils at Brackenwood Junior School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.0% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has resourced provision with 18 pupils.

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 Brackenwood Junior School received £8,408 and spent £6,872 for each of its 197 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £84,000 (£425 per pupil).

Across all 12 schools of Oak Trees Multi Academy Trust, income was £8,110 and spending £7,287 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 Wirral · Wirral local authority: places and applications

Brackenwood Junior School is part of Oak Trees Multi Academy Trust, which runs 13 schools. The nearest others:

• Stanton Road Primary School Wirral
• Church Drive Primary School Wirral
• Poulton Lancelyn Primary School Wirral
• Thingwall Primary School Wirral
• Heswall Primary School Wirral
• Irby Primary School Wirral
• Greasby Junior School Wirral
• Egremont Primary School Wallasey
• Orrets Meadow School Wirral
• Hilbre High School Wirral

What is Brackenwood Junior School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Brackenwood Junior School is Good, from an inspection in July 2023.

When was Brackenwood Junior School last inspected by Ofsted?

Brackenwood Junior School was last inspected in July 2023.

How many pupils does Brackenwood Junior School have?

Brackenwood Junior School has 199 pupils on roll.

What age range does Brackenwood Junior School cover?

Brackenwood Junior School for pupils aged 7 to 11.

What are Brackenwood Junior School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 85% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Brackenwood Junior School?

Brackenwood Junior School is at Norbury Avenue, Bebington, Wirral, Merseyside, CH63 2HH.