St Bartholomew's CofE Voluntary Controlled Primary School

About St Bartholomew's CofE Voluntary Controlled Primary School

St Bartholomew's CofE Voluntary Controlled Primary School sits within the Leeds local authority, a large and varied education landscape containing 221 primary schools. In the most recent rankings based on Key Stage 2 outcomes, the school placed 141st out of 204 in the local authority, placing it in the bottom half of Leeds primaries. For context, the highest-performing nearby peers include Harewood Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Shadwell Primary School, and St Philip's Catholic Primary School, all of which achieved significantly higher ranking scores. The school is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary, taking children from age 3 to 11, and is led by headteacher Jane Wainwright. It is a large primary, with 533 pupils on roll against a capacity of 558, and a high proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at 39.2 per cent. The nearest school rated Outstanding by Ofsted is Beecroft Primary School, located 2.2 kilometres away.

In its most recent Ofsted inspection in December 2024, St Bartholomew's was judged Good across all graded areas, including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. The early years provision was also rated Good. This represents a consistent picture, as the previous inspection in 2019 also rated the school Good overall. At Key Stage 2, 53 per cent of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which is below the Leeds local authority average of 61 per cent. In individual subjects, 69 per cent met the expected standard in reading, 68 per cent in maths, and 63 per cent in writing. The proportion reaching the higher standard was modest: 21 per cent in reading, 16 per cent in maths, and just 5 per cent in writing. Nationally, the school ranks in the bottom third of primaries on this combined measure, sitting at the 73rd percentile.

Parent feedback is overwhelmingly positive. In the most recent Parent View survey, 97 per cent of the 66 respondents would recommend the school, and strong majorities agreed or strongly agreed that their child is happy, feels safe, and does well. The school offers a range of facilities including a gymnasium, sports hall, ICT suite, music rooms, a sensory room, and a chapel. Clubs include book club, choir, science club, and gardening. Sports provision covers tennis, rounders, cross country, and football. The school has a broad SEND offer, supporting pupils with moderate to profound learning difficulties, speech and language needs, hearing impairment, autistic spectrum disorder, and social, emotional and mental health needs. For the 2025/26 intake, the school was oversubscribed: 142 applications for 60 places, with 56 offers made to first-preference applicants out of 57 who put it first. This is a school that suits families looking for a large, inclusive Church of England primary with strong pastoral care and a supportive parent community, though academic outcomes are below the local average.

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