Bitterne Church of England Primary School, Southampton
Bitterne Church of England Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Southampton. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in February 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 61st-highest of the 79 schools in Southampton with published results, and 11,173rd of 14,452 across England. It was 96% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2015)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Southampton (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Bitterne Church of England Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 68% of Year 6 pupils at Bitterne Church of England Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 67% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 71% and 70% in Southampton and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 64% in reading and 44% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Bitterne Church of England Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 41 families put Bitterne Church of England Primary School as their first choice and 107 named it as one of their preferences, for 46 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 Bitterne Church of England Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Bitterne Church of England Primary School are Glenfield Infant School (0.3 miles, Good); Beechwood Junior School (0.3 miles, Outstanding, 82% reading, 78% maths); Sholing Junior School (0.5 miles, Good, 71% reading, 72% maths); and Sholing Infant School (0.6 miles, Outstanding).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Bitterne Church of England Primary School.
Glenfield Infant SchoolBeechwood Junior SchoolSholing Junior SchoolSholing Infant School
What parents say
83 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Bitterne Church of England Primary School (as of September 2025): 70% would recommend the school, 81% say their child is happy there and 48% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (86%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (48%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Bitterne Rail Station, about 1160 metres away (roughly a 14-minute walk).
12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Downside Avenue (near), 130 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Bitterne Church of England Primary School issued 8 suspensions, 2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Bitterne Church of England Primary School are Oasis Academy Sholing (0.6 miles), Woodlands Community College (1.1 miles) and Bitterne Park School (1.2 miles).
Oasis Academy SholingWoodlands Community CollegeBitterne Park School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from March 2015, 11 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 February 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Bitterne is a happy, calm school where pupils thrive socially and emotionally through strong pastoral care and a values-based approach centred on love, trust and forgiveness. The school has excellent attendance rates and offers engaging learning experiences including educational visits and virtual reality activities. Under new leadership, the school is committed to improving academic standards and has introduced an ambitious new curriculum to help all pupils succeed.
Key Strengths
- Positive behaviour and attitudes - pupils are well-behaved, kind and listen carefully in class
- Strong personal development programme helping pupils develop life skills, confidence and understanding of health and safety
- Effective safeguarding arrangements that prioritise pupil wellbeing
- Good attendance and punctuality due to strong staff-parent partnerships
- Engaging educational visits and use of virtual reality to enrich learning
Areas for Improvement
- Published 2024 outcomes significantly below national average with many pupils lacking essential literacy and numeracy skills
- Early reading and writing instruction inconsistent - not all staff trained well enough to deliver the new phonics programme
- Variable quality of curriculum teaching across school - some teachers not checking learning effectively or setting ambitious enough tasks
- Early years provision not preparing children adequately for key stage 1
- Quality assurance checks not identifying and addressing all areas of poor practice
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with clear systems in place to identify pupil needs and support vulnerable children.
Extracurricular Activities
Educational visits, virtual reality headsets, community service opportunities
Bitterne Church of England Primary School is a calm, caring place where pupils are happy and kind to each other, but academic standards have declined significantly and require improvement. Under new leadership, the school is working to reverse this decline, though pupils still lack essential literacy and numeracy skills.
At a Glance
26.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
83 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 64% to 68% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 44% to 67% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 50% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
28.1
Avg class size
27.8
Infant (KS1)
28.3
KS2
13
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Bitterne Church of England Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Bitterne Church of England Primary School.
- 360 Degree Sports Coaching - Glenfield510m away · Not yet graded
- Premier Education at Bitterne Manor Primary1000m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Bitterne Church of England Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Bitterne Church of England Primary School is in Southampton; for families living there:
Apply to Southampton for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 44
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 7
- Children hurt
- 7
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 44 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 7 serious and 37 slight.
7 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt.
9 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 Southampton is 33 (the median across 87 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 Bitterne Church of England Primary School
Will you get a place at Bitterne Church of England Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Bitterne Church of England Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Bitterne Church of England Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Bitterne Church of England Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Southampton, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Bitterne Church of England Primary School for 2015 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Southampton 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
96%
Near capacity
404 pupils
420 places
16 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Southampton
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Southampton
Across Southampton council
Places available
2,745
Applications
2,122
Got 1st preference
93.3%
Got preferred school
99.1%
All primary applications across Southampton council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(9)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
64
SEN Support
14
EHC Plans
19.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
395
Total Pupils
204
Boys
191
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
19
Teachers
20.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£46,659
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,213
Per pupil
£2391k
Total funding
£139k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.9%
Overall absence
13.7%
Persistent absence
366
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Bitterne Church of England Primary School
Questions parents ask about Bitterne Church of England Primary School
What are SATs results like at Bitterne Church of England Primary School?
Of the pupils at Bitterne Church of England Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 68% reached the expected standard in reading and 67% did so in maths.
What is Bitterne Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Bitterne Church of England Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in March 2015, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Bitterne Church of England Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Bitterne Church of England Primary School is oversubscribed, Southampton allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Bitterne Church of England Primary School?
Bitterne Church of England Primary School was close to full in 2025, at 96% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Bitterne Church of England Primary School?
Classes at Bitterne Church of England Primary School average 28.1 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Bitterne Church of England Primary School?
Bitterne Church of England Primary School has around 395 pupils on roll. 26% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Bitterne Church of England Primary School?
4.9% of sessions were missed at Bitterne Church of England Primary School in 2024/25. 13.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Bitterne Church of England Primary School?
Apply through Southampton's coordinated admissions process, naming Bitterne Church of England Primary School 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.
Does Bitterne Church of England Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 2 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of Bitterne Church of England Primary School: 360 Degree Sports Coaching - Glenfield (510m away, registered, not yet graded) and Premier Education at Bitterne Manor Primary (1km away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Bitterne Church of England Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 44 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 7 serious and 37 slight. 7 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt. 9 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 Southampton is 33 (the median across 87 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Bitterne Church of England Primary School?
Bitterne Church of England Primary School is at Brownlow Avenue, Bitterne, Southampton, Hampshire, SO19 7BX.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)