St Briavels Parochial Church of England Primary School

About St Briavels Parochial Church of England Primary School

St Briavels Parochial Church of England Primary School holds a Good rating from its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2022, a step down from the Outstanding grade it received in its previous inspection in 2011. The school’s most telling academic metric is the Key Stage 2 combined reading, writing and maths expected standard: 50% of pupils met this benchmark in the 2023/24 academic year. That figure sits below the Gloucestershire local authority average of 59%, placing the school 145th out of 243 primary schools of the same type in the county. Within the Forest of Dean, it ranks 24th out of 39 schools, putting it in the bottom half of the local league table. The Ofsted report notes that quality of education, personal development, behaviour and attitudes, and early years provision are all Good, with leadership and management also rated Good. The school has capacity for 140 pupils and currently enrols 136, with 8.1% eligible for free school meals.

Looking more closely at the individual subject scores from the same Key Stage 2 assessments, reading stands out as a relative strength. 78% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, and 39% achieved the higher standard — a notably strong result. In maths, 67% met the expected standard, with an average scaled score of 102, while writing saw 56% reach the expected level and none reach the higher standard. No pupils achieved the higher standard in the combined reading, writing and maths measure. The school does not publish progress scores for reading, writing or maths, so it is not possible to compare how much value the school adds relative to pupils’ starting points. Nationally, the school ranks in the bottom 20% of all primary schools on the combined expected standard metric, sitting at the 80th percentile nationally and the 74th percentile within the South West region.

St Briavels is a Church of England primary school in the Forest of Dean, serving children from age 2 through to 11. It offers a nursery provision and a range of facilities including an art studio, outdoor playground, playing fields, dining hall, sensory room, ICT suite and a chapel. Sports on offer include gymnastics, netball, tennis and rounders, and there are clubs such as book club, film club and choir. The school has identified SEND provisions for moderate learning difficulty, speech, language and communication needs, hearing impairment, and other difficulty or disability. For the 2025/26 intake, the school was oversubscribed: it received 33 applications for 15 places, with 13 first-preference offers made, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.2. This suggests strong local demand despite the below-average academic outcomes. Families who prioritise a small, church-affiliated village school with a broad range of facilities and a strong reading focus may find it a good fit, though those seeking top-tier academic results may want to look at higher-performing peers in the area such as Meysey Hampton or Temple Guiting.

Key Details

Frequently Asked Questions About St Briavels Parochial Church of England Primary School

Helpful Guides for Parents