Bevois Town Primary School

About Bevois Town Primary School

Bevois Town Primary School in Southampton is a mixed, state-funded primary for children aged 4 to 11, and it is clearly a popular choice among local families. With 406 pupils on roll against a capacity of 420, the school is running very close to full, and the demand is evident from its admissions data for the 2025/26 intake. The school received 102 total applications for just 51 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2:1, and 47 of those offers went to first-preference families. The pupil body is notably diverse in terms of disadvantage: 42.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is significantly higher than the national average of around 23% and well above the Southampton local authority average for primary schools. This context matters for parents weighing up the school’s inclusive intake against its academic outcomes, and it suggests a community-facing school that serves a broad socioeconomic mix.

Academically, Bevois Town presents a mixed picture. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 50% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined — below the Southampton local authority average of 55%. The school ranks 28th out of 42 primary schools in the LA on this metric, placing it in the bottom half locally and the bottom 50% nationally. However, individual subject results are stronger in some areas: 90% of pupils reached the expected standard in writing, and 71% did so in maths, while reading lagged at 63%. Average scaled scores were 103 in both reading and maths, which is exactly the national average. The proportion reaching the higher standard across all three subjects was just 6%, though writing saw 27% at that level. In its most recent graded inspection (2018), Ofsted rated overall effectiveness as Good, with leadership and management judged Outstanding and early years provision Outstanding. An ungraded inspection in February 2024 confirmed the school remains Good and is improving.

The school offers a solid range of facilities for a primary, including a sports hall, playing fields, a library, an ICT suite, and a Forest School area. Sports provision covers netball, tennis, swimming, rounders and cricket, while clubs include coding, gardening, drama, eco club and art club. For families with children who have additional needs, the school lists SEND support for specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, speech and language needs, social and emotional mental health, hearing and visual impairments, and autistic spectrum disorder. Bevois Town is a non-religious community school with no nursery or sixth form. Given its high FSM intake and oversubscription, it will particularly suit families looking for a well-subscribed, inclusive local primary with strong early years and leadership, but who are comfortable with academic results that sit below the LA average. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is Mount Pleasant Juniors, half a kilometre away, for those weighing alternatives.

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