Bishops Lydeard Church School
Mount Street, Bishops Lydeard, Taunton, TA4 3AN
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- THE BATH AND WELLS DIOCESAN ACADEMIES TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr James Dakin
- Religious ethos
- None
- Diocese
- Diocese of Bath and Wells
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Diocese of Bath and Wells Multi Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Tiverton and Minehead
- Setting
- Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 196
- URN
- 142402
- Local authority
- Somerset
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01823432582
About this school
Bishops Lydeard Church School is a Church of England primary academy in Taunton. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 196 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. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 18 | 18 | 26 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 78% | 61% | 42% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 22% | 12% |
| Expected standard in reading | 94% | 72% | 69% |
| Expected standard in maths | 94% | 67% | 42% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 100% | 78% | 58% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 110.0 | 107.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 108.0 | 106.0 | 101.0 |
| Reading progress | +3.00 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -0.90 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +2.90 | - | - |
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 Bishops Lydeard Church 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 | Somerset average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 78% | 54.1% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 61% | 55.4% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 42% | 57.3% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 139 |
| 2023/24 | 142 |
| 2024/25 | 153 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Bishops Lydeard Church School compares
Bishops Lydeard Church School ranked 138th of 155 primary schools in Somerset for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 13% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 45% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 42% | 5.6% | 22.2% | 196 | — |
| Cotford St Luke Primary School | 44% | 6.4% | 15.2% | 201 | 1.6 miles |
| Oake, Bradford and Nynehead VC Primary | 40% | 4.7% | 11.8% | 67 | 2.7 miles |
| Norton Fitzwarren Church School | 53% | 4.9% | 15.8% | 306 | 2.8 miles |
| Lydeard St Lawrence Community Primary School | 40% | 4.6% | 10.8% | 32 | 2.9 miles |
| Kingston St Mary Church of England Primary School | 45% | 5.5% | 22.6% | 112 | 3.0 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.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 22.22%
- English as an additional language
- 5.9%
- Overall absence
- 5.61%
- Persistent absence
- 15.6%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Cotford St Luke Primary School1.6 miles
Primary · Taunton
-
Oake, Bradford and Nynehead VC Primary2.7 miles
Primary · Taunton
-
Norton Fitzwarren Church School2.8 miles
Primary · Taunton
-
Lydeard St Lawrence Community Primary School2.9 miles
Primary · Taunton
-
Kingston St Mary Church of England Primary School3.0 miles
Primary · Taunton
Other schools in Taunton
Bishops Lydeard Church School ranks 31st of the 36 ranked primary schools in Taunton.
- Bishop Henderson Church of England Primary School, Taunton Primary
- Bishops Hull Primary School Primary
- Blackbrook Primary School Primary
- Cheddon Fitzpaine Church School Primary
- Churchstanton Primary School Primary
- Cotford St Luke Primary School Primary
- Creech St Michael Church of England Primary School Primary
- Crowcombe CofE VA Primary School Primary
- Curry Mallet Church of England Primary School Primary
- Hatch Beauchamp Church of England Primary School Primary
- Holway Park Community Primary School Primary
- Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Bishops Lydeard Church School teach?
- Bishops Lydeard Church School teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Taunton.
- Who is the headteacher of Bishops Lydeard Church School?
- The headteacher of Bishops Lydeard Church School is Mr James Dakin, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Bishops Lydeard Church School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Bishops Lydeard Church 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 Bishops Lydeard Church School?
- Bishops Lydeard Church School has 196 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is Bishops Lydeard Church School full?
- Bishops Lydeard Church School has capacity for 210 pupils and 196 on roll (93%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Bishops Lydeard Church School a faith school?
- Yes. Bishops Lydeard Church School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Bath and Wells.
- Does Bishops Lydeard Church School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Bishops Lydeard Church School as having nursery classes.
- Who runs Bishops Lydeard Church School?
- Bishops Lydeard Church School is part of THE BATH AND WELLS DIOCESAN ACADEMIES TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Bishops Lydeard Church School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 78% in 2022/23 and 42% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Bishops Lydeard Church School rank locally?
- Bishops Lydeard Church School ranked 138th of 155 primary schools in Somerset for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 13% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 45% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Bishops Lydeard Church School's absence rate?
- Bishops Lydeard Church School's overall absence rate is 5.6% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Bishops Lydeard Church School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Bishops Lydeard Church 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 2 July 2026.