St Nicholas Chantry Church of England Primary School

About St Nicholas Chantry Church of England Primary School

St Nicholas Chantry Church of England Primary School in North Somerset is a state primary for 329 pupils, comfortably below its 400-pupil capacity. The school serves a relatively affluent intake, with just 6.4% of pupils eligible for free school meals, well below the national average. Despite the spare capacity, demand is strong: for the 2025/26 academic year, the school received 72 applications for 40 places, an oversubscription ratio of 1.8, and all 40 first-preference applicants were offered a place. This suggests a school that is popular within its local community, particularly among families who value its Church of England character. The school is led by headteacher Ro O'Reilly and was most recently inspected by Ofsted in October 2024, receiving a Good rating across all areas including behaviour, personal development, and early years provision. This represents a notable improvement from its previous inspection in June 2022, when the school was rated Requires Improvement overall.

Academically, St Nicholas Chantry performs well above the local authority average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, 74% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared to the North Somerset average of 61%. This places the school 12th out of 57 primary schools in the local authority, putting it in the top 25% nationally. In individual subjects, 91% of pupils reached the expected standard in writing, 86% in maths, and 79% in reading. At the higher standard, 38% achieved in both reading and maths, though the combined higher standard figure was 10%. Average scaled scores were 107 in maths and 106 in reading, both above the national benchmark of 100. The school's ranking score of 74 places it behind local peers such as Northleaze Church of England Primary School (88) and Winscombe Primary School (84), but still comfortably within the top-performing tier of North Somerset primaries.

The school offers a range of facilities including a Forest School, library, playing fields, gymnasium, sports hall, outdoor playground, sensory room, and a chapel. Sports provision includes football, rounders, cricket, and netball, while clubs cover chess, eco club, choir, and coding. The school identifies SEND provisions for specific learning difficulties, moderate learning difficulties, social emotional and mental health needs, speech language and communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. However, the Parent View survey, based on 97 responses, showed mixed feedback on SEND support: 54% agreed or strongly agreed that the school gives SEND children the support they need, while 46% disagreed or strongly disagreed. Overall, 88% of parents would recommend the school. This is a good-fit choice for families in North Somerset seeking a Church of England primary with strong academic outcomes, a broad range of activities, and a clear improvement trajectory under current leadership.

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