St Teresa's Catholic Primary School

About St Teresa's Catholic Primary School

St Teresa's Catholic Primary School in Bristol is a state primary that is effectively full, with 209 pupils against a capacity of 210. The school serves a community where 12.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is notably lower than the national average for primary schools in England (typically around 23-24%), suggesting a relatively less disadvantaged intake compared with many other schools in the city. Demand for places is strong: for the 2025/26 intake, the school received 93 applications for just 30 places, with 41 of those listing it as their first preference. This oversubscription ratio of 3.1 to one, and the fact that only 29 first-preference offers were made, signals a popular choice among local families, particularly those seeking a Roman Catholic ethos. The school is mixed and takes children from age 4 to 11, with no nursery provision on site.

Academically, St Teresa's performs well above the local average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 80% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a Bristol local authority average of just 58%. This places the school 6th out of 85 primary schools in the city, comfortably within the top 10% nationally. Pupils also achieve strong scores in individual subjects: the average scaled score was 109 in both reading and maths (against a national benchmark of 100), and 93% met the expected standard in maths specifically. The school's most recent Ofsted inspection in June 2024 rated it Good overall, a downgrade from its previous Outstanding rating in 2016. However, inspectors noted that early years provision remains Outstanding, and behaviour, personal development, leadership and quality of education were all judged Good. The school has no sixth form.

Facilities include a Forest School area, a sensory room, a sports hall, an ICT suite and a chapel, reflecting its Catholic character. The school offers a range of clubs from chess to coding and gardening, and sports include dance, tennis, football, cross country and athletics. SEND provision is well developed, with support for pupils with specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, speech and language needs, social and emotional challenges, and autistic spectrum disorder. For families prioritising a faith-based primary with strong academic outcomes and a clear sense of community, St Teresa's is a compelling option, though the high demand means securing a place is competitive. The nearest Outstanding-rated alternative is Bishop Road Primary School, 2.3 km away, which may be worth considering for families who miss out on a place here.

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