St Bartholomews CofE Primary School

About St Bartholomews CofE Primary School

St Bartholomew’s CofE Primary School sits in the middle of the pack academically within Lincolnshire, but its headline KS2 figure falls short of the local authority average. Just 50% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined in the 2023/24 assessments, compared with a county average of 57%. That seven-point gap places the school 162nd out of 280 primary schools in Lincolnshire, and 17th out of 32 in the South Holland district. The picture is more nuanced when you look at individual subjects: 75% of children met the expected standard in writing, and 69% did so in reading, while maths lagged at 63%. At the higher end, only 6% of pupils achieved the higher standard in reading, writing and maths together, though 25% reached that level in reading alone. With a Progress 8 score not available, it is hard to say whether pupils are catching up or falling behind relative to their starting points, but the raw attainment data suggests the school has work to do in maths particularly.

The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2024, rated overall effectiveness as Requires Improvement, a downgrade from its previous Good rating in 2014. Inspectors found the quality of education and leadership and management both require improvement, while personal development, behaviour and attitudes, and early years provision were all judged Good. The report noted that behaviour is a strength, which aligns with the Good rating for behaviour and attitudes. With only 89 pupils on roll against a capacity of 105, the school is small and oversubscribed: for the 2025/26 reception intake, it received 20 applications for just 8 places, a ratio of 2.5 to one, and made 7 offers to first-preference families. A third of pupils (33.7%) are eligible for free school meals, well above the national average, which may partly explain the attainment gap compared with the LA average.

Facilities include a Forest School, chapel, art studios, gymnasium and dining hall, and the school runs clubs such as film, gardening, eco, drama, choir and art. Sports on offer are football, netball, athletics and tennis. The SEND provision is broad, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate and severe learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language difficulties, physical disability and autistic spectrum disorder. This suggests the school is well set up to support children with a range of additional needs. For families in South Holland who value a Church of England ethos and a small, community-focused setting, St Bartholomew’s offers a close-knit environment, though the Requires Improvement rating means parents will want to satisfy themselves that the academic gaps are being addressed. The oversubscription rate indicates strong local demand despite the Ofsted grade.

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