Birdwell Primary School
Hollis Close, Long Ashton, Bristol, BS41 9AZ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- BIRDWELL SCHOOL
- Headteacher
- Mr Paul Sainsbury
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- North Somerset
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 450
- Pupils on roll
- 427
- URN
- 139471
- Local authority
- North Somerset
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01275392496
About this school
Birdwell Primary School is a primary academy in Bristol. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 427 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted no longer gives schools a single overall grade. Each area of the school's work is graded on a five-point scale, and safeguarding is judged separately.
- Inclusion
- Expected standard
- Curriculum and teaching
- Expected standard
- Achievement
- Expected standard
- Attendance and behaviour
- Expected standard
- Personal development and wellbeing
- Expected standard
- Leadership and governance
- Expected standard
- Early years
- Expected standard
- Safeguarding
- Met
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 53 | 56 | 61 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 81% | 79% | 84% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 2% | 7% | 16% |
| Expected standard in reading | 91% | 86% | 92% |
| Expected standard in maths | 92% | 88% | 89% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 85% | 86% | 89% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 110.0 | 109.0 | 110.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 109.0 | 108.0 | 108.0 |
| Reading progress | +3.60 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -1.70 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +3.40 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Birdwell Primary School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | North Somerset average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 81% | 59.7% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 79% | 59.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 84% | 60.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 431 |
| 2023/24 | 437 |
| 2024/25 | 424 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Birdwell Primary School compares
Birdwell Primary School ranked 3rd of 57 primary schools in North Somerset for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 93% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 81% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 84% | 4.1% | 9.5% | 427 | — |
| Northleaze Church of England Primary School | 68% | 3% | 1.6% | 187 | 0.6 miles |
| Ashton Vale Primary School | 74% | 6.4% | 32.1% | 147 | 1.6 miles |
| St Peter's Church of England Primary School (VC) | 66% | 6% | 31.8% | 460 | 1.9 miles |
| Four Acres Academy | 57% | 8.1% | 62.8% | 423 | 1.9 miles |
| Flax Bourton Church of England Primary School | 60% | 3.8% | 5.2% | 193 | 2.0 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
Inspection history
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 9.49%
- English as an additional language
- 7.5%
- Overall absence
- 4.12%
- Persistent absence
- 5.52%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Northleaze Church of England Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Bristol
-
Ashton Vale Primary School1.6 miles
Primary · Bristol
-
St Peter's Church of England Primary School (VC)1.9 miles
Primary · Bristol
-
Four Acres Academy1.9 miles
Primary · Bristol
-
Flax Bourton Church of England Primary School2.0 miles
Primary · Bristol
Other schools in Bristol
Birdwell Primary School ranks 14th of the 198 ranked primary schools in Bristol.
- Abbotswood Primary School Primary
- Air Balloon Hill Primary School Primary
- Ashley Down Primary School Primary
- Ashton Gate Primary School Primary
- Ashton Vale Primary School Primary
- Avanti Gardens School Primary
- Avonmouth Church of England Primary School and Nursery Primary
- Backwell Church of England Junior School Primary
- Badocks Wood E-ACT Academy Primary
- Bailey's Court Primary School Primary
- Barley Close Community Primary School Primary
- Barrs Court Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Birdwell Primary School teach?
- Birdwell Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Bristol.
- Who is the headteacher of Birdwell Primary School?
- The headteacher of Birdwell Primary School is Mr Paul Sainsbury, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Birdwell Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Birdwell Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is Birdwell Primary School?
- Birdwell Primary School has 427 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Birdwell Primary School full?
- Birdwell Primary School has capacity for 450 pupils and 427 on roll (95%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Birdwell Primary School a faith school?
- No. Birdwell Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Birdwell Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Birdwell Primary School as having nursery classes.
- Who runs Birdwell Primary School?
- Birdwell Primary School is part of BIRDWELL SCHOOL. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Birdwell Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 81% in 2022/23 and 84% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Birdwell Primary School rank locally?
- Birdwell Primary School ranked 3rd of 57 primary schools in North Somerset for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 93% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 81% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Birdwell Primary School's absence rate?
- Birdwell Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.1% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Birdwell Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Birdwell Primary School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 1 July 2026.