Bidston Village CofE (Controlled) Primary School, Prenton

Requires Improvement
Primary
Voluntary controlled school
Mixed
Church of England
Ages 211

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~610m)Possible (~871m)Unlikely (~1.1km)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Ms Mina Shahi
Pupils:404 / 420 capacity
LA:Wirral
Phone:01516520673
Address:Ballantyne Drive, Bidston, Prenton, CH43 7XG
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open
Opened:1 September 2006

Ofsted Rating

Requires Improvement

Overall

URN:131281
UKPRN:10075217
Diocese:Diocese of Chester
Constituency:Birkenhead
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

This is a friendly, welcoming school where pupils feel safe, valued and supported by caring staff. The school excels at looking after children's wellbeing and personal development, with effective pastoral support and a strong sense of belonging for all pupils, including those with special needs. Children benefit from a carefully planned curriculum that prioritises language development and includes enriching visits, residential trips and a wide range of clubs and activities.

Key Strengths

  • Strong safeguarding culture with open communication and effective systems
  • Warm, trusting relationships and inclusive ethos where all pupils feel they belong
  • Well-designed early years curriculum with effective phonics teaching
  • Effective pastoral support and personal development programme
  • Leaders taking decisive action to drive improvement after recent leadership changes

Areas for Improvement

  • Attainment in reading, writing and mathematics remains below national averages
  • Quality of teaching is variable and some lessons do not match pupils' starting points well enough
  • Low and persistent absence rates, particularly for disadvantaged pupils
  • Some pupils still have gaps in learning from earlier in the curriculum
  • Further work needed to ensure all pupils benefit equally from support available

Safeguarding

Safeguarding standards are met - leaders have established an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed.

Extracurricular Activities

Visits to Chester, residential trips, wide range of clubs and activities

Bidston Village CofE Primary School is a friendly school where pupils feel safe and valued, though recent leadership changes have brought focus to improving curriculum quality and raising attainment in reading, writing and mathematics.

At a Glance

64.8%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

Yes

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty

SEN Provision

No

Special Measures

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading-6ppMaths+7ppWriting-2pp

Reading has declined from 45% to 39%. Maths has improved from 30% to 37%. Writing has remained stable at around 44%.

Class Sizes

20.9

Avg class size

24.7

Infant (KS1)

26.3

KS2

13

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Train Stations

Bidston Rail Station
509m · 8 min walk

Bus Stops

Fender Way (adj)
146m · 2 min walk
Eleanor Road (nr)
229m · 4 min walk
School Lane (adj)
252m · 4 min walk
St Oswalds Avenue (opp)
298m · 5 min walk
Bidston Station (Stop A)
320m · 5 min walk
Can you get into this school?
Enter your postcode to find out

Commute Calculator

Find out if this school is reachable from your home - before you apply

Sign up free to see your commute to this school

What are my chances?

Enter your postcode to estimate your probability of getting a place.

Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

96%

Near capacity

404 pupils

420 capacity

16 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Prenton

Low pressure
New homes approved:291
Projected new pupils:73

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Prenton

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(106)

Date not published by Ofsted
Requires Improvement
Date not published by Ofsted
Requires Improvement
Date not published by Ofsted
Requires Improvement

House Prices

Moving into the catchment? See what homes near this school actually cost

Sign up free to see house prices near this school

SEN Provision

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

Sign up free to see special needs support at this school

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.

Sign up free to see who goes to this school

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.

Sign up free to see teacher and staff data

School Funding

Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.

Sign up free to see how this school is funded

Pupil Absence
2024/25

6.89946%

Overall absence

22.57143%

Persistent absence

350

Enrolments

Authorised4.37735%
Unauthorised2.52212%
Persistent (10%+)22.57143%
Severe (50%+)2.85714%

Absence trend

5.78332%
18/19
5.18729%
20/21
8.34021%
21/22
7.0276%
22/23
6.86566%
23/24
6.89946%
24/25
Overall absence rate

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

Reviews

No reviews yet - be the first to leave one.

Leave a Review

You need to be signed in to leave a review.

Secondary Schools Nearby

Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to

Nearby Schools

Do you work at this school?

Claim your profile free to get a verified badge, update your contact details, and see how many parents are viewing your page.