Bream Church of England Primary School

About Bream Church of England Primary School

Bream Church of England Primary School sits within Gloucestershire’s Forest of Dean area, a rural corner of the South West where primary options are spread across small villages. Among the 243 state primary schools in the local authority, Bream ranks 180th on the key stage 2 expected standard measure, placing it in the bottom half of the county. The top-performing peers in the same LA — Meysey Hampton Church of England Primary School, Temple Guiting Church of England School and Thrupp School — all achieve perfect ranking scores, highlighting the competitive landscape Bream operates within. The school is one of only nine primaries in Gloucestershire rated Outstanding by Ofsted, though Bream itself holds a Good rating. With 180 pupils against a capacity of 210, it is not at full roll, and 40.6 per cent of its children qualify for free school meals, well above the national average. Headteacher Nicola Brice leads a Church of England school that serves a community with significant socioeconomic need, a factor that shapes both its challenges and its character.

Academically, Bream’s most recent key stage 2 results from 2023/24 show 40 per cent of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined — well below the local authority average of 59 per cent. Only 5 per cent achieved the higher standard in all three subjects. Individual subject scores tell a more mixed story: 70 per cent met expectations in writing, 65 per cent in maths, and 50 per cent in reading. Average scaled scores were 101 for reading and 102 for maths, both close to the national benchmark of 100. The school’s Ofsted inspection in November 2023 marked a significant turnaround from its previous rating of Inadequate in 2019. Every category inspected — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision — was judged Good. The inspection report, published in February 2024, noted that the school has made strong progress under current leadership, though the KS2 outcomes suggest there is still ground to cover in core academic attainment.

The school offers a solid range of facilities for its size, including a sports hall, gymnasium, forest school area, art studios, a sensory room and a chapel. Sports provision covers cricket, netball, football, athletics, rounders, dance and cross country, while after-school clubs include drama, art, science, gardening, choir and film club. SEND support is available for pupils with specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social emotional and mental health needs, and speech, language and communication needs. For the 2025/26 intake, the school was oversubscribed: 23 first-preference applications were received for 23 places, with 43 total applications giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.87. This suggests strong local demand despite the academic results. Bream will suit families who value a Church of England primary with a broad enrichment offer and strong pastoral support, particularly those whose children benefit from the sensory room and forest school, and who are comfortable with a school that is still building academic momentum after a recent Ofsted recovery.

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