Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy

About Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy

Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy sits in a tricky spot when you compare its headline Key Stage 2 results against the Staffordshire local authority average. The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined sits at 59%, which is six percentage points below the LA average of 65%. That gap is worth noting, though the picture is more nuanced when you look at individual subjects. In maths, 78% of pupils met the expected standard, and in reading it was 76%, both respectable figures. Writing was a touch lower at 73%. Where the school really struggles is at the higher end: only 5% of pupils achieved the higher standard across all three subjects, and the school ranks 28th out of 34 primary schools in Stafford on this measure. It places in the bottom 50 nationally for its combined expected standard score, which puts it in a challenging position compared with many of its local peers.

The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection, in November 2024, paints a more encouraging picture. While the overall effectiveness was not judged on that occasion, inspectors rated behaviour and attitudes as Outstanding, and every other category — quality of education, early years provision, personal development, and leadership and management — came out as Good. That’s a solid improvement from the previous inspection in 2013, which also rated overall effectiveness as Good but didn’t capture the same level of detail. Parent feedback is overwhelmingly positive: 91% of respondents would recommend the school, and 95% either agreed or strongly agreed that their child is happy there. The average reading score was 105 and maths 104, both slightly above the national benchmark of 100, suggesting that while the combined headline figure lags behind, individual subject progress is reasonable.

Bishop Lonsdale is a Church of England primary academy with nursery provision for children aged three to eleven, currently home to 248 pupils against a capacity of 330. It was oversubscribed for the 2025/26 intake, receiving 61 applications for 43 places, with 42 of those coming as first preferences. The school offers a decent range of facilities including a chapel, music rooms, a library, an ICT suite, playing fields and a sports hall, plus clubs like Eco Club, Film Club and Science Club. Its SEND provisions cover a broad spectrum, including support for autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language needs, and social and emotional challenges. For families who value a strong pastoral environment and a school where behaviour is rated outstanding, this could be a good fit, though those prioritising top-tier academic outcomes at KS2 may want to look at higher-performing schools in the area.

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