Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled School
Church Street, Burton Bradstock, Bridport, DT6 4QS
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- INITIO LEARNING TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Holly Varndell-Paulley
- Diocese
- Diocese of Salisbury
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Wimborne Academy Trust
- Constituency
- West Dorset
- Setting
- Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 105
- Pupils on roll
- 99
- URN
- 142692
- Local authority
- Dorset
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01308897369
About this school
Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled School is a Church of England primary academy in Bridport. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 99 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
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 10 December 2024, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 9 | 9 | 11 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 44% | 44% | 64% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 11% | 11% | 18% |
| Expected standard in reading | 56% | 67% | 82% |
| Expected standard in maths | 67% | 78% | 82% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 56% | 44% | 73% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 102.0 | 103.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 101.0 | 103.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.60 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.60 | - | - |
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 Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled 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 | Dorset average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 44% | 53.5% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 44% | 53.3% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 64% | 54.4% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 91 |
| 2023/24 | 89 |
| 2024/25 | 99 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled School compares
Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled School ranked 30th of 89 primary schools in Dorset for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 50% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 64% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 64% | 4.9% | 11.8% | 99 | — |
| Bridport, St Mary's Church of England Primary School | 52% | 4.5% | 29.1% | 194 | 2.4 miles |
| Bridport Primary School | 50% | 5% | 19.8% | 267 | 2.6 miles |
| Loders CofE Primary Academy | 50% | 3.6% | 20% | 72 | 2.9 miles |
| St Catherine's Roman Catholic School | 30% | 7.9% | 22% | 100 | 2.9 miles |
| Symondsbury Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School | 67% | 3.7% | 12.4% | 107 | 3.7 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)
- 11.76%
- English as an additional language
- 2%
- Overall absence
- 4.87%
- Persistent absence
- 10.13%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Bridport, St Mary's Church of England Primary School2.4 miles
Primary · Bridport
-
Bridport Primary School2.6 miles
Primary · Bridport
-
Loders CofE Primary Academy2.9 miles
Primary · Bridport
-
St Catherine's Roman Catholic School2.9 miles
Primary · Bridport
-
Symondsbury Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School3.7 miles
Primary · Bridport
Other schools in Bridport
Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled School ranks 3rd of the 10 ranked primary schools in Bridport.
- Bridport Primary School Primary
- Bridport, St Mary's Church of England Primary School Primary
- Charmouth Primary School Primary
- Loders CofE Primary Academy Primary
- Marshwood CofE Primary Academy Primary
- Powerstock Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Primary
- Salway Ash Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Primary
- St Catherine's Roman Catholic School Primary
- Symondsbury Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Primary
- The Sir John Colfox Academy Secondary
Common questions
- What year groups does Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled School teach?
- Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Bridport.
- Who is the headteacher of Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled School?
- The headteacher of Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled School is Mrs Holly Varndell-Paulley, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled 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 Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled School?
- Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled School has 99 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled School full?
- Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled School has capacity for 105 pupils and 99 on roll (94%), 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 Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled School a faith school?
- Yes. Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Salisbury.
- Does Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled School as having nursery classes.
- Who runs Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled School?
- Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled School is part of INITIO LEARNING TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 44% in 2022/23 and 64% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled School rank locally?
- Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled School ranked 30th of 89 primary schools in Dorset for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 50% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 64% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled School's absence rate?
- Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled School's overall absence rate is 4.9% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled 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.