Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy, Stafford
Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Stafford, part of St Chad's Academies Trust. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2013. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in November 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 19th-highest of the 35 schools in Stafford with published results, and 3,885th of 14,452 across England. It was 79% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2013)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Staffordshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy in detail
Results
In 2025, 88% of Year 6 pupils at Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 80% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 79% and 77% in Staffordshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 76% in reading and 78% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy
For September 2026 entry, 32 families put Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy as their first choice and 47 named it as one of their preferences, for 33 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy are Woodseaves CE Primary Academy (2.6 miles, Good, 89% reading, 78% maths); All Saints Church of England Primary School and Nursery (3.1 miles); Springfields First School (3.6 miles, Good); and All Saints CofE (C) First School (4 miles, Good).
Woodseaves CE Primary AcademyAll Saints Church of England Primary School and NurserySpringfields First SchoolAll Saints CofE (C) First School
The trust
Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy is one of 19 schools run by St Chad's Academies Trust, an academy trust.
What parents say
66 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy (as of September 2025): 91% would recommend the school, 96% say their child is happy there and 54% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child is happy at the school (96%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (54%).
Who goes there
11.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 1.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (88%) and Mixed (7%).
In 2026, 30 pupils (10.5%) received SEN support and 11 (3.8%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Norton Bridge Rail Station, about 2.9 miles away in a straight line.
2 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Cross Butts (adjacent), 370 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 13 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and public order offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Staffordshire (86).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy issued 3 suspensions, 1.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from February 2013, 13 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's November 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Bishop Lonsdale is a school where children genuinely enjoy learning and behave exceptionally well. Staff have high expectations of all pupils, including those with additional needs, and provide excellent support to help them succeed. The school brings learning to life through visits, forest school experiences and residential trips, while firmly embedding its values of love, friendship, compassion, courage and justice.
Key Strengths
- Exemplary behaviour throughout the school with pupils who are exceptionally well mannered and courteous
- Carefully structured and successful approach to reading with well-trained staff and pupils reading accurately from appropriate books
- High attendance rates because pupils love coming to school and focus well in lessons
- Excellent support for pupils with SEND whose specific needs are quickly identified
- Ambitious and well-organised curriculum with teachers delivering consistently and helping pupils practise and revise learning
Areas for Improvement
- Some subjects do not have curriculum plans that are as clear as they could be, meaning teachers are sometimes unsure what knowledge to teach and emphasise
- Curriculum in a minority of subjects does not build methodically across year groups, so pupils could learn more
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
Extracurricular Activities
Extra-curricular clubs, forest school, residential visits, breakfast and after-school club
Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy is a good school where pupils love to learn and flourish, with the school sitting at the heart of its community with strong links to the local church and charities.
At a Glance
11.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
66 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 76% to 88% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 80% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 76% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
26.1
Avg class size
27.3
Infant (KS1)
27.2
KS2
11
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy
Newsletter - Friday 17th July, 2026
17 Jul 2026
Newsletter - Friday 27th March, 2026
27 Mar 2026
Newsletter - Friday 13th February 2026
13 Feb 2026
Newsletter- Friday 19th December 2025
14 Jan 2026
Newsletter - Friday 5th December 2025
5 Dec 2025
Safeguarding and Wellbeing Newsletter- October 2025
22 Oct 2025
From Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy
Term dates
Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Staffordshire's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy is in Staffordshire; for families living there:
Apply to Staffordshire for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 1
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 0 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Staffordshire is 5 (the median across 457 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy
Will you get a place at Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy.
- Staffordshire publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy for 2017 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Staffordshire got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
79%
Available places
249 pupils
315 places
66 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Stafford
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Stafford
Across Staffordshire council
Places available
10,768
Applications
8,344
Got 1st preference
95.1%
Got preferred school
99.1%
All primary applications across Staffordshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
30
SEN Support
11
EHC Plans
14.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
287
Total Pupils
145
Boys
142
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
15
Teachers
19.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£42,598
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£4,955
Per pupil
£1453k
Total funding
£41k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.8%
Overall absence
6.5%
Persistent absence
214
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy
What are SATs results like at Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy?
Of the pupils at Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 88% reached the expected standard in reading and 80% did so in maths.
What is Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?
Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in November 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in February 2013, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy is oversubscribed, Staffordshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy?
Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 79% of its 315 places.
How big are the classes at Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy?
Classes at Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy average 26.1 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy?
Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy has around 287 pupils on roll. 12% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy?
3.8% of sessions were missed at Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy in 2024/25. 6.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy?
Apply through Staffordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 0 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Staffordshire is 5 (the median across 457 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy?
Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy is at Shaws Lane, Eccleshall, Stafford, Staffordshire, ST21 6AU.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)