Bonner Primary School

About Bonner Primary School

Bonner Primary School sits in Tower Hamlets, a borough where the average proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths at Key Stage 2 is 71%. Bonner's figure of 59% is notably below that LA average, and the school ranks 52nd out of 58 primary schools in the borough, placing it in the bottom half locally and in the bottom 50% nationally. However, the picture is more nuanced than a single headline metric suggests. In reading, 81% of pupils met the expected standard, and 78% did so in writing, both well above the school's combined score. Maths is the weaker area, with 70% reaching the expected level. At the higher standard, 27% achieved in maths, 25% in reading, and 11% in writing, while just 9% hit the higher bar across all three subjects. The school's average scaled scores of 105 in both reading and maths are solid, but the overall ranking reflects the challenge of lifting all three subjects together.

Bonner was rated Good in its most recent graded Ofsted inspection in 2019, and an ungraded inspection in February 2025 confirmed that standards are being maintained. The school has held a Good rating across both its recent inspections, having previously been rated Outstanding in 2007. The Ofsted report notes Good provision across all areas: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years. Parent feedback from the 2024/25 period is largely positive, with 95% of respondents agreeing or strongly agreeing that their child is happy at the school, and 90% saying their child feels safe. A strong 84% agreed that the school has high expectations for their child, and 90% felt their child does well. However, concerns handling is a weaker spot: 27% disagreed that concerns are dealt with properly, and 16% strongly disagreed, though 58% were positive.

Bonner is a large primary school with 704 pupils on roll against a capacity of 840, and it offers nursery provision. It is oversubscribed for 2025/26, with 78 applications for 42 places and all 40 first-preference applicants receiving offers. The school has a high proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at 41.2%, reflecting the local demographic. Facilities include art studios, an ICT suite, music rooms, a sports hall, and a chapel. Sports on offer include rounders, athletics, cross country, swimming and dance, while clubs range from coding and chess to gardening and film club. The school provides support for a range of SEND needs, including dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social and emotional mental health, speech and language communication, and autistic spectrum disorder. This is a school that suits families who value a strong reading and writing foundation and a broad extracurricular offer, but who are aware that maths outcomes and the combined headline measure lag behind the local average.

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