St Barnabas Church of England Primary School, Bristol

Ofsted's report card from its 28 April 2026 inspection grades St Barnabas Church of England Primary School on 7 areas: 3 expected standard and 4 needs attention. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Early years - Expected standard. "The trust has supported the school to strengthen early years provision."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Staff work tenaciously to accurately identify pupils' needs and remove any barriers to learning that they may face."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Pupils understand the school's values of ambition, compassion and resilience."

Achievement - Needs attention. "Pupils' achievement at the end of key stage 2 is below the national average, with fewer than half reaching the expected standard in combined reading, writing and mathematics in 2025."

Attendance and behaviour - Needs attention. "While most pupils have high attendance, there remains a minority who are persistently absent."

Curriculum and teaching - Needs attention. "The school has experienced instability in staffing that has impacted the quality of teaching across the school."

Leadership and governance - Needs attention. "It has been a turbulent time for the school."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders must continue to robustly monitor the impact of the writing curriculum, addressing weaknesses in practice, so that all pupils improve their writing fluency and accuracy"; "Leaders must ensure that the work pupils are given, including in wider curriculum subjects, enables them to deepen their thinking and develop a detailed knowledge across the curriculum"; "Leaders must ensure that teachers use assessment effectively in lessons to identify when pupils have misconceptions, and when pupils need to extend their knowledge, so that pupils complete work that is matched to their needs"; "Leaders must maintain high expectations for all pupils' behaviour, so that the poor behaviour of a minority does not have a negative impact on others"; "Leaders must ensure that all aspects of the personal development curriculum are implemented effectively, so that pupils consistently remember what they have learned".

Coming up: an open evening on Monday 2 November 2026 and an open day on Tuesday 10 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.

In 2025, 61% of Year 6 pupils at St Barnabas Church of England Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 61% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 76% and 76% in South Gloucestershire and 77% and 75% across England.

Results fell from 73% in reading and 70% in maths in 2024.

With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.

For September 2026 entry, 22 families put St Barnabas Church of England Primary School as their first choice and 47 named it as one of their preferences, for 27 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state primary schools to St Barnabas Church of England Primary School are Redfield Edge Primary School (0.5 miles, 76% reading, 69% maths); Cadbury Heath Primary School (0.6 miles, 60% reading, 70% maths); Parkwall Primary School (0.8 miles, 65% reading, 71% maths); and St Anne's Church of England Primary School (0.8 miles, Good, 76% reading, 73% maths).

Each of them had higher 2025 results than St Barnabas Church of England Primary School.

St Barnabas Church of England Primary School is one of 18 schools run by The Leaf Trust, an academy trust.

13.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 3.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The nearest tram or metro stop is Oldland (Avon Valley Railway), about 800 metres away (roughly a 10-minute walk).

11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Poplar Road (n-bound), 70 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Barnabas Church of England Primary School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. On income deprivation affecting children it is in the 7th decile, where the 1st is the most deprived. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In 2024/25, St Barnabas Church of England Primary School issued 11 suspensions, 4.8 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The secondary schools closest to St Barnabas Church of England Primary School are Sir Bernard Lovell Academy (0.5 miles), Digitech Studio School (0.6 miles) and King's Oak Academy (1 mile).