Brighstone Church of England Aided Primary School

About Brighstone Church of England Aided Primary School

Brighstone Church of England Aided Primary School was rated Good overall in its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2024, a notable improvement from its previous Requires Improvement rating in 2021. The school received Good marks across every category, including Quality of Education, Behaviour and Attitudes, Personal Development, and Leadership and Management. The most telling exam metric comes from Key Stage 2 results for the 2023/24 academic year, where 43% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined. That figure sits below the Isle of Wight local authority average of 52%, placing Brighstone 26th out of 35 primary schools in the area. The school’s national ranking on this measure is in the bottom 50% of all primary schools, at the 87th percentile nationally. While the combined figure is modest, individual subject results tell a more mixed story: 86% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, and 64% did so in maths, but only 50% achieved it in writing.

Looking deeper into the Key Stage 2 data, average scores in reading (106) and maths (103) are both above the national baseline of 100, and 21% of pupils reached the higher standard in reading, with 14% doing so in maths. No pupils achieved the higher standard in writing or the combined higher benchmark. The school has no published progress scores for reading, writing or maths, so it is not possible to see how much value the school adds relative to pupils’ starting points. With only 85 pupils on roll and a capacity of 105, Brighstone is a small, close-knit primary. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is 24.7%, which is above the national average and suggests the school serves a community with above-average levels of disadvantage. The school’s Ofsted report noted that behaviour and attitudes were Good, and inspectors rated early years provision as Good as well.

Brighstone offers a range of facilities including a sports hall, library, gymnasium, art studios and a chapel, and runs clubs such as gardening, coding, eco club, chess and choir. Sports on offer include tennis, rounders, cross country and gymnastics. The school has identified SEND provisions for specific learning difficulties including dyslexia, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, physical disabilities and other difficulties. For the 2025/26 intake, the school was oversubscribed: 12 first-preference applications were made for 12 places, with 17 total applications, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.42. This suggests strong local demand for a school that has turned around its Ofsted rating and now offers a stable, Good-rated environment. It will particularly suit families on the Isle of Wight who value a small Church of England primary with a broad range of clubs and a clear focus on reading attainment.

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