Bishop Ridley Church of England VA Primary School

About Bishop Ridley Church of England VA Primary School

Bishop Ridley Church of England VA Primary School is a state primary in the London Borough of Bexley, a local authority with 61 primary schools in total. Among these, it ranks 17th, placing it comfortably in the top 25 per cent of primaries in the borough. The three highest-ranked peers in Bexley are St Thomas More Catholic Primary School, St John Fisher Catholic Primary School, and St Stephen's Catholic Primary School, all of which sit ahead of Bishop Ridley on the local league table. The nearest school rated Outstanding by Ofsted is Leigh Stationers' Primary Academy, just 0.6 km away. Bishop Ridley itself holds a Good rating from its most recent graded inspection in 2014, and an ungraded inspection in March 2024 confirmed that the school remains Good. The headteacher is Stuart Keep, and the school serves 371 pupils aged 3 to 11, with a capacity of 476. It is a Church of England voluntary aided school with a nursery provision and a religious character that shapes its identity.

Academically, Bishop Ridley performs above the Bexley average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 74 per cent of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with the local authority average of 67 per cent. Reading and maths average scores were 109 and 108 respectively, both above the national benchmark of 100. The proportion of pupils achieving the higher standard in reading was 57 per cent, in maths 45 per cent, and in writing 22 per cent. The school’s overall ranking score of 74 is based on the combined expected standard metric. While Progress 8 scores are not available for this primary, the attainment data suggests solid outcomes. The school is oversubscribed: for 2025/26, there were 75 applications for 30 places, with 33 first-preference applications and 30 first-preference offers, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.5.

The school offers a broad set of facilities including a Forest School, ICT suite, sensory room, gymnasium, chapel, and playing fields. Sports provision covers netball, dance, gymnastics, athletics, cross country, football, and cricket, while clubs include art, science, and chess. SEND provision is well-developed, supporting pupils with specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, hearing impairment, autistic spectrum disorder, and other difficulties. With 6.7 per cent of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school has a relatively low level of disadvantage compared with many London primaries. This is a school that suits families looking for a Church of England primary with strong academic results, a clear local reputation, and a wide range of enrichment opportunities, though it is worth noting that it is oversubscribed and competition for places is high.

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