Combe Down CofE Primary School

About Combe Down CofE Primary School

Combe Down CofE Primary School is a Church of England state primary for mixed pupils aged 4 to 11, located in Bath and North East Somerset. With 416 pupils on roll against a capacity of 420, the school is essentially full, and demand is strong: for the 2025/26 intake, the school received 115 applications for 59 places, an oversubscription ratio of 1.95, with 55 of those applications listing it as first preference. Just over half of first-preference applicants (52) were offered a place. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals stands at 14.7%, which is below the national primary average of around 23%, suggesting a relatively less deprived intake compared with the wider country. The school’s religious character as Church of England may also shape its intake, though the data does not specify any faith-based admissions criteria. Headteacher Joanne Bird leads a school that, based on its near-full roll and high application numbers, clearly holds strong local appeal.

Academically, Combe Down sits in the bottom half of its local authority for key stage 2 performance, ranking 38th out of 52 primary schools in Bath and North East Somerset on the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined. That figure was 56% in the 2023/24 academic year, slightly below the local authority average of 62%. In individual subjects, 72% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, 70% in writing, and 63% in maths. Higher-attaining pupils achieving a high score in all three subjects made up 9% of the cohort. Average scaled scores were 105 in reading and 103 in maths. The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection, an ungraded visit in November 2024, confirmed that standards are being maintained, and the school retains its overall Good rating. Its previous graded inspection in 2013 rated the school Good across leadership and management and overall effectiveness, a notable improvement from the Requires Improvement judgement of 2011.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including a library, forest school area, sensory room, ICT suite, chapel, art studios, and playing fields. Sports provision covers football, swimming, athletics and tennis, while clubs include choir, drama, eco club, science club and book club. For SEND, the school lists support for specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social emotional and mental health needs, speech language and communication needs, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. Parent View responses, based on 149 respondents between September 2024 and September 2025, were overwhelmingly positive: 97% would recommend the school, and 96% agreed or strongly agreed that their child is happy. The school suits families who value a Church of England primary with strong community demand, a broad set of enrichment activities, and a clear SEND offer, though those prioritising top-tier KS2 outcomes may want to compare with higher-ranked local options such as Freshford Church School or the nearest Outstanding-rated school, Widcombe CofE Junior School, 2.2 km away.

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