Bedford Drive Primary School, Birkenhead

Good
Primary
Community school
Mixed
Ages 311

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~419m)Possible (~599m)Unlikely (~779m)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Laura Horton
Pupils:406 / 420 capacity
LA:Wirral
Phone:01516451561
Address:Bedford Drive, Rock Ferry, Birkenhead, CH42 6RT
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open

Ofsted Rating

Good

Overall

URN:104988
UKPRN:10070128
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Birkenhead
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

Bedford Drive Primary School excels at creating a caring, safe environment where pupils behave well and feel valued. The school is particularly good at supporting disadvantaged pupils, with the gap between these students and their peers gradually closing. School leaders are actively working to improve teaching quality and have successfully removed poor teaching from the school.

Key Strengths

  • Pupils' behaviour is good and they feel safe in school - they get on well together and are eager to learn
  • School leaders successfully raised standards at the end of Key Stage 2, meeting government floor standards in 2014
  • The gaps in attainment between disadvantaged pupils and other pupils are closing
  • Phonics teaching has improved, with pupils' performance now broadly in line with the national average
  • The school provides excellent spiritual, moral, social and cultural development for pupils

Areas for Improvement

  • Pupils' achievement in reading and writing at Key Stage 1 remains below expected levels for their age
  • Teaching quality is not consistent enough across the school to help pupils progress quickly
  • Some teachers have low expectations of what pupils can achieve
  • Marking does not always clearly explain to pupils how to improve their work
  • Leadership targets lack clarity and measurable success measures to check if improvements are working

Safeguarding

The school's arrangements for safeguarding pupils meet statutory requirements and leaders have successfully created a culture where pupils feel safe and well cared for.

Extracurricular Activities

Sporting activities, visits to local farm and theatre, Chinese New Year celebrations, school council, fundraising events, charity awareness activities

Bedford Drive Primary School requires improvement. While the school has made some progress in raising standards at Key Stage 2 and improving behaviour, teaching quality and pupil achievement remain inconsistent across the school.

At a Glance

48.9%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

Yes

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading+4ppMaths-1ppWriting-6pp

Reading has improved from 66% to 70%. Maths has remained stable at around 50%. Writing has declined from 58% to 52%.

Class Sizes

26.6

Avg class size

26.4

Infant (KS1)

29.7

KS2

14

Total classes

2 classes with more than 30 pupils

2024/25 academic year

Latest from Bedford Drive Primary School

From Bedford Drive Primary School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.

Getting There

Bus Stops

Bebington Road (adj)
152m · 2 min walk
Riviera Drive (adj)
211m · 3 min walk
Albany Road (opp)
213m · 3 min walk
Allcot Avenue (adj)
220m · 4 min walk
Cressington Avenue (adj)
238m · 4 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

97%

Near capacity

406 pupils

420 capacity

14 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Birkenhead

Low pressure
New homes approved:470
Projected new pupils:118

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Birkenhead

Admissions Demand - Wirral

Low demand0.76x oversubscription

Places available

3,860

Applications

2,952

Got 1st preference

96.0%

Got preferred school

99.1%

Primary admissions across Wirral (2025/26)

Inspection History(110)

Date not published by Ofsted
Good
Date not published by Ofsted
Good
Date not published by Ofsted
Good

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SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

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Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

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Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

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School Funding

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

6.4485%

Overall absence

18.15562%

Persistent absence

347

Enrolments

Authorised3.50043%
Unauthorised2.94806%
Persistent (10%+)18.15562%
Severe (50%+)0.28818%

Absence trend

5.54315%
18/19
4.57976%
20/21
7.70436%
21/22
7.5416%
22/23
7.05273%
23/24
6.4485%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

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