Upper Horfield Primary School

About Upper Horfield Primary School

Upper Horfield Primary School sits within the Bristol, City of local authority, where it ranks 12th out of 85 primary schools on the key stage 2 expected standard measure. That places it comfortably in the top 15% of its local peers. The three highest-ranked schools in the same authority are Summerhill Academy, Westbury Park School, and Ss Peter and Paul RC Primary School, all of which score higher on the same metric. Upper Horfield is a smaller-than-average state primary with 182 pupils on roll against a capacity of 210, and it offers nursery provision for children from age two. The school is non-denominational and mixed, with a headteacher named Tim Seddon. Just over 30% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is notably above the national average and gives a sense of the school's intake.

Academically, Upper Horfield's most recent key stage 2 results show 72% of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, well above the local authority average of 58%. In reading, 84% met the expected standard and 28% reached the higher standard; in maths, 88% met the expected standard and 16% reached the higher standard. Writing saw 80% at expected and 16% at the higher level. Average scaled scores were 107 in reading and 106 in maths. However, the school's Ofsted rating, from an inspection in June 2023, is Requires Improvement overall. The breakdown is mixed: behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and early years provision were all rated Good, while quality of education and leadership and management were judged as Requires Improvement. The previous inspection in 2019 also rated the school as Requires Improvement overall, so the rating has not changed.

The school is oversubscribed for 2025/26, with 45 applications for 20 places and 18 first-preference offers, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.25. Facilities include an ICT suite, art studios, music rooms, a library, dining hall and chapel. Sports on offer include athletics, tennis, netball, dance, cricket, football and rounders, and there is a good range of clubs such as gardening, eco club, book club, film club, science club and art club. The school has identified SEND provisions covering specific learning difficulties including dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social emotional and mental health needs, speech language and communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. For families considering Upper Horfield, the key trade-off is between its solid KS2 outcomes and its Requires Improvement Ofsted rating. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is Bishop Road Primary School, 2.4 km away.

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