Berrow Primary Church Academy

About Berrow Primary Church Academy

Berrow Primary Church Academy’s headline metrics sit well below the Somerset average for primary schools, and the gap is stark. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, just 43% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a local authority average of 59%. That 16-point deficit places the school in the bottom half of Somerset primaries, ranking 110th out of 134. Its national percentile of 87.6 puts it in the bottom 13% of all primary schools in England. The picture is similarly concerning in the higher-standard measure: only 5% of pupils achieved the higher standard in reading, writing and maths, a figure that underscores how far the school has to go to match local peers. Berrow is a small Church of England primary with 143 pupils on roll, well below its capacity of 210, and 21% of pupils are eligible for free school meals — a figure that gives some context to the challenges the school faces.

Academically, the school’s performance is mixed when you look at individual subjects. In maths, 71% of pupils met the expected standard, with an average scaled score of 102, which is close to the national benchmark of 100. Reading was weaker, with only 52% reaching the expected standard and an average score of 101. Writing fared better, with 76% meeting the expected standard, though just 5% achieved the higher standard. Progress scores for reading, writing and maths are not available in the data, so it’s hard to say whether pupils are making typical gains from their starting points. The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection in September 2022 rated it Inadequate overall, with leadership and management also judged Inadequate, and all other areas — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and early years provision — rated Requires Improvement. This is a downgrade from its previous 2019 inspection, which graded the school as Requires Improvement overall.

Berrow Primary Church Academy offers a broad range of facilities for a school of its size, including a sports hall, art studios, music rooms, a chapel, and an ICT suite. There is a nursery provision for children from age two, and the school runs clubs in coding, drama, eco club and gardening, plus sports including netball, tennis, athletics, cross country and swimming. Its SEND provision covers specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, hearing impairment, and autistic spectrum disorder. For the 2025/26 intake, the school was oversubscribed: it received 32 applications for 20 places, with all 20 first-preference applicants offered a spot, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.6. This suggests that despite the Ofsted rating, local families still see something to value here. Berrow will suit parents who prioritise a small, church-affiliated setting with strong SEND support and are comfortable with a school that is in a turnaround phase under its headteacher, Charlotte Bradley.

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