St Bartholomews's Church of England Primary School

About St Bartholomews's Church of England Primary School

If you’re comparing primary schools in Lewisham, St Bartholomew’s Church of England Primary School sits slightly below the local authority average for the key headline metric. The school’s proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined (RWM) is 58%, compared with the Lewisham average of 64% for primary schools. That six-point gap places it 39th out of 59 primaries in the borough, putting it in the bottom half locally and the bottom 50% nationally. However, the picture isn’t uniformly middling. In reading, 71% of pupils met the expected standard and the average reading score was 105, which is above the national benchmark of 100. Maths tells a similar story, with an average score of 102 and 63% reaching the expected level. The school’s ranking score of 58 reflects that the combined RWM figure drags the overall position down, but individual subject scores suggest solid foundations in literacy and numeracy.

Ofsted’s most recent graded inspection in July 2023 rated the school Good overall, with a notable standout: personal development was judged Outstanding. That’s a significant strength, especially for a primary school, and it’s the only category where the school exceeded the standard Good rating. Behaviour and attitudes, leadership and management, quality of education, and early years provision were all rated Good. The previous inspection in 2013 also awarded Good overall, so the school has maintained a consistent standard over a decade. At Key Stage 2, 4% of pupils achieved the higher standard in reading, writing and maths combined, and 17% reached the higher standard in maths. The school’s Progress 8 scores are not available in the data, so it’s not possible to compare value-added directly, but the raw attainment figures give a clear sense of where pupils land by Year 6.

St Bartholomew’s is a Church of England primary for mixed genders aged 5 to 11, with 399 pupils on roll against a capacity of 405. It is oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, there were 167 applications for 60 places, with 78 first-preference applications and 59 first-preference offers, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.78. That level of demand suggests strong local reputation despite the middling league table position. The school offers a broad set of facilities including a sports hall, playing fields, art studios, music rooms, a library, a sensory room, and a chapel. Sports include football, cricket, swimming and athletics, and clubs range from gardening and eco club to coding and film club. SEND provision is well-developed, covering specific learning difficulties, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language needs, hearing and visual impairments, and autistic spectrum disorder. This is a school that suits families who value strong pastoral care and personal development alongside solid academic basics, and who are comfortable with a setting that is popular enough to require a first-preference application for a realistic chance of a place.

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