Upper Arley CofE Primary School
Upper Arley, Bewdley, DY12 1XA
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- THE BLACK PEAR TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Louise Low
- Diocese
- Diocese of Worcester
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- The Black Pear Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Wyre Forest
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 105
- Pupils on roll
- 81
- URN
- 147761
- Local authority
- Worcestershire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01299861260
About this school
Upper Arley CofE Primary School is a Church of England primary academy in Bewdley. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 81 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
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
- Outstanding
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- 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 | 10 | 16 | 10 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 30% | 56% | 70% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 10% |
| Expected standard in reading | 70% | 75% | 80% |
| Expected standard in maths | 50% | 63% | 80% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 40% | 63% | 70% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 103.0 | 104.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 100.0 | 102.0 | 103.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -0.90 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.90 | - | - |
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 Upper Arley CofE 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 | Worcestershire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 30% | 54.7% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 56% | 56.4% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 70% | 57.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 63 |
| 2023/24 | 61 |
| 2024/25 | 72 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Upper Arley CofE Primary School compares
Upper Arley CofE Primary School ranked 42nd of 128 primary schools in Worcestershire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 66% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 52% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 70% | 5.4% | 17.5% | 81 | — |
| Alveley Primary School | 75% | 3.7% | 24.7% | 115 | 2.7 miles |
| Highley Community Primary School | 55% | 5.6% | 25.9% | 234 | 2.9 miles |
| Kinlet CofE Primary School | — | 8.8% | 28.9% | 41 | 2.9 miles |
| St Anne's CofE VC Primary School | 50% | 4.4% | 13.9% | 247 | 3.4 miles |
| Franche Primary School | 62% | 5.4% | 25.9% | 726 | 3.6 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)
- 17.46%
- English as an additional language
- 1.4%
- Overall absence
- 5.36%
- Persistent absence
- 16.95%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Alveley Primary School2.7 miles
Primary · Bridgnorth
-
Highley Community Primary School2.9 miles
Primary · Bridgnorth
-
Kinlet CofE Primary School2.9 miles
Primary · Kinlet
-
St Anne's CofE VC Primary School3.4 miles
Primary · Bewdley
-
Franche Primary School3.6 miles
Primary · Kidderminster
Other schools in Bewdley
- Bewdley Primary School Primary
- St Anne's CofE VC Primary School Primary
- The Bewdley School Secondary
Common questions
- What year groups does Upper Arley CofE Primary School teach?
- Upper Arley CofE Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Bewdley.
- Who is the headteacher of Upper Arley CofE Primary School?
- The headteacher of Upper Arley CofE Primary School is Mrs Louise Low, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Upper Arley CofE Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Upper Arley CofE 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 Upper Arley CofE Primary School?
- Upper Arley CofE Primary School has 81 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Upper Arley CofE Primary School full?
- Upper Arley CofE Primary School has capacity for 105 pupils and 81 on roll (77%), 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 Upper Arley CofE Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Upper Arley CofE Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Worcester.
- Does Upper Arley CofE Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Upper Arley CofE Primary School as having nursery classes.
- Who runs Upper Arley CofE Primary School?
- Upper Arley CofE Primary School is part of THE BLACK PEAR TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Upper Arley CofE Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 30% in 2022/23 and 70% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Upper Arley CofE Primary School rank locally?
- Upper Arley CofE Primary School ranked 42nd of 128 primary schools in Worcestershire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 66% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 52% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Upper Arley CofE Primary School's absence rate?
- Upper Arley CofE Primary School's overall absence rate is 5.4% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Upper Arley CofE Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Upper Arley CofE 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 10 July 2026.