Brackenwood Infant School, Wirral
Brackenwood Infant School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 7 in Wirral. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2023. It was 71% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2023)
- 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 Wirral (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Brackenwood Infant School in detail
Brackenwood Infant School in its own words
In its own words: "Each child is guided and nurtured within our Brackenwood Infant School family allowing for a happy and supportive learning environment in which children are confident to take risks, develop life long relationships and communicate their ideas confidently. Our school day begins at 8:45am with a morning break in KS1 (Years 1&2) at 10:30am."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, gymnastics, judo, dance, choir, STEM and gardening.
The school runs after-school care.
Vision and values (school website)Clubs (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Brackenwood Infant School
For September 2026 entry, 44 families put Brackenwood Infant School as their first choice and 129 named it as one of their preferences, for 48 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 Brackenwood Infant School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Brackenwood Infant School are Brackenwood Junior School (0.1 miles, Good, 93% reading, 91% maths); St Andrew's CofE Primary School (0.4 miles); Town Lane Infant School (0.5 miles, Outstanding); and Stanton Road Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 66% reading, 76% maths).
Brackenwood Junior SchoolSt Andrew's CofE Primary SchoolTown Lane Infant SchoolStanton Road Primary School
Who goes there
4.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 12 pupils (7.7%) received SEN support and 17 (11%) 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 Bebington Rail Station, about 1000 metres away (roughly a 13-minute walk).
11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Bebington High School (nw-bound), 130 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Brackenwood Infant School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
Brackenwood Infant School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Brackenwood Infant School are Co-op Academy Bebington (0.1 miles), Wirral Grammar School for Girls (0.2 miles), Wirral Grammar School for Boys (0.2 miles) and St John Plessington Catholic College (0.6 miles).
Co-op Academy BebingtonWirral Grammar School for GirlsWirral Grammar School for BoysSt John Plessington Catholic College
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; 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
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's November 2023 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Brackenwood Infant School excels at making children love learning and reading. Teachers are highly skilled at adapting lessons to help every child succeed, including those who need extra support. The school goes beyond academics by offering a wonderful range of clubs, trips and activities that help children become confident, considerate young people prepared for modern Britain.
Key Strengths
- Expertly delivered reading and phonics programme with almost all children reading fluently by end of Reception
- Carefully crafted, aspirational curriculum that fully meets pupils' learning needs and builds connections between concepts
- Exceptional support for pupils with SEND through quick identification and effective communication with parents and professionals
- Exemplary pupil behaviour and conduct throughout the school with pupils showing excellent manners and consideration
- Rich enrichment programme including clubs, Spanish lessons, judo, musical theatre and educational trips
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective and the school has created an open, positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Clubs, Spanish language lessons, judo, musical theatre, visits to places of worship, museums, places of historical significance
Brackenwood Infant School is an outstanding school where children blossom and achieve exceptionally well. Pupils are happy, confident learners who live up to high expectations and model the school's values of self-control, care and consideration every day.
At a Glance
21.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
22.0
Avg class size
22.0
Infant (KS1)
7
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with Brackenwood Infant School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Brackenwood Infant School.
- Charleys Childcare BrackenwoodAt the school · Not yet graded
- Firbobs@StantonRoad850m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Brackenwood Infant School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Wirral. Training (INSET) days, when pupils are not in school, vary by school: check the school's own calendar.
2027 to 2028
- Autumn term: Wednesday 1 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027)
- Spring term: Tuesday 4 January to Friday 31 March 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028)
- Summer term: Tuesday 18 April to Friday 21 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028)
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Brackenwood Infant School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Brackenwood Infant School is in Wirral; for families living there:
Apply to Wirral for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 9
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 9 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 6 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on a bicycle.
2 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 Wirral is 15 (the median across 136 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 Brackenwood Infant School
Will you get a place at Brackenwood Infant School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Brackenwood Infant School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Brackenwood Infant School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Brackenwood Infant School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Wirral, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Brackenwood Infant School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Wirral 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
71%
Available places
153 pupils
215 places
62 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Wirral
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Wirral
Across Wirral council
Places available
3,820
Applications
3,017
Got 1st preference
95.3%
Got preferred school
98.9%
All primary applications across Wirral council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(4)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
12
SEN Support
17
EHC Plans
18.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
155
Total Pupils
91
Boys
64
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
9
Teachers
17.2:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,450
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,559
Per pupil
£990k
Total funding
£39k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.4%
Overall absence
9.2%
Persistent absence
119
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
Questions parents ask about Brackenwood Infant School
What is Brackenwood Infant School's Ofsted rating?
Brackenwood Infant School was rated Outstanding at its most recent Ofsted inspection in November 2023.
What is the catchment area for Brackenwood Infant School?
No fixed boundary. When Brackenwood Infant School is oversubscribed, Wirral allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Brackenwood Infant School?
Brackenwood Infant School was not full in 2025: it ran at 71% of its 215 places.
How big are the classes at Brackenwood Infant School?
Classes at Brackenwood Infant School average 22 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Brackenwood Infant School?
Brackenwood Infant School has around 155 pupils on roll. 21% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Brackenwood Infant School?
4.4% of sessions were missed at Brackenwood Infant School in 2024/25. 9.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Brackenwood Infant School?
Apply through Wirral's coordinated admissions process, naming Brackenwood Infant 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 Brackenwood Infant School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Charleys Childcare Brackenwood (registered, not yet graded). There is another within a kilometre. The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
What are Brackenwood Infant School's term dates?
Brackenwood Infant School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Wirral. In 2027 to 2028: Autumn term: Wednesday 1 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027); Spring term: Tuesday 4 January to Friday 31 March 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028); Summer term: Tuesday 18 April to Friday 21 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028).
How many road collisions happen near Brackenwood Infant School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 9 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 6 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on a bicycle. 2 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 Wirral is 15 (the median across 136 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Brackenwood Infant School?
Brackenwood Infant School is at Pulford Road, Bebington, Wirral, Merseyside, CH63 2HN.
Sources: Wirral term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)