Birchanger Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Bishop's Stortford
Data last updated 11 Sept 2026
Location
Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 5 months agoReport card - no overall grade (new Ofsted framework from Sep 2024)
Ofsted Insights
What This School Does Well
This is a happy, caring school where every child is known and supported. The school excels at teaching children to read and creating a calm, respectful environment where good behavior is celebrated. Parents love the warm atmosphere, and children develop strong character through leadership roles, enriching activities and the school's focus on believing in themselves, being their best, being creative and belonging.
Key Strengths
- Significant improvements in phonics teaching with higher Year 1 screening pass rates
- Warm, inclusive atmosphere where pupils feel known, valued and safe
- Strong behavior management based on positive relationships and clear expectations
- Effective support for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils
- Well-designed personal development programme with enriching activities
Areas for Improvement
- Inconsistent quality of work in some subjects like history and geography
- Not all pupils with barriers to learning achieve as well as leaders would like
- Some activities in wider subjects don't always help pupils deepen their thinking
- Quality of high-quality talk in early years is not consistently strong
- Parents want more open communication about learning and behavior
Safeguarding
Safeguarding standards are met - leaders have created an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and pupils feel safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Forest lessons, coding club, sewing club, gardening club, school council, reading buddies, play ambassadors, sports, performing arts, visits, theme days
Birchanger Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is a welcoming primary school where pupils feel safe and supported. The school has made strong improvements in reading and maintains expected standards across most areas, though some wider subjects need further development.
At a Glance
10.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2025/26KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 71% to 91%. Maths has improved from 43% to 73%. Writing has improved from 36% to 82%.
Class Sizes
14.4
Avg class size
16.0
Infant (KS1)
13.3
KS2
5
Total classes
2024/25 academic year
Getting There
Bus Stops
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
79%
Available places
93 pupils
117 capacity
24 spare places available
Area Demand Pressure - Bishop's Stortford
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Bishop's Stortford
Admissions Demand - Essex
Places available
17,913
Applications
15,619
Got 1st preference
90.3%
Got preferred school
98.4%
Primary admissions across Essex (2025/26)
Inspection History(10)
House Prices
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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.
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.
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.
School Funding
Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.30101%
Overall absence
6.59341%
Persistent absence
91
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
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Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Birchanger Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
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