School Chooser

Fishponds CofE Primary School

Primary · ages 4-11MixedAcademyChurch of England310 pupilsBristolBristol, City of
School Chooser Score
20
Below
similar schools
Likely range 11 to 36
Out of 100. Better than 24% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, March 2022
Reached the expected level at 1151%England 63%
Attendance93.1%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families39%Far more than most schools
Places110 spare310 pupils, 420 places
Pupils per teacher16.2School workforce census

Fishponds CofE Primary School is a sponsored academy in Bristol for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 310 pupils and room for 420. About 39 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 20 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 24% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2022.

Fishponds Road, Fishponds, Bristol, BS16 3UH0117 903 0491fceps.org.ukMs Michelle Omoboni principalAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 9 March 2022, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

This inspection is more than 4 years old. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of one grade.

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

51 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1151%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level2%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score103.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score103.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 41%41%20172018: 25%25%20182019: 65%65%20192023: 50%50%20232024: 54%54%20242025: 51%51%2025
Since 2017: +10%Steady overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017Bristol, City ofEngland
Pupils tested515654546056
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths51%54%50%65%25%41%59%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths2%0%4%6%2%4%5%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score103.0104.0103.0104.098.0100.0105.1105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score103.0104.0102.0104.096.0100.0103.6104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score105.0106.0104.0107.099.0103.0104.1105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard61%71%63%72%48%55%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard69%71%67%72%35%55%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)69%68%72%81%47%57%
Reading progressReading progress score-0.9-0.1-4.4-1.8
Maths progressMaths progress score-0.4-0.8-5.5-2.1
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged17%41%47%57%19%27%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged79%59%51%71%32%61%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 1 of the 4 gaps is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
17%79%
Gap 62 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
57%47%
Gap 10 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Pupils learning English vs all pupils
70%51%
Gap 19 ptsEngland 4 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%2%
Gap 2 ptsEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published. As a Church of England school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

Plenty of spare places332 pupils for 420 places, 2024/25
79% full

88 places were empty (21% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 14% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Bristol, City of council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll310Census January 2026
Places42074% full
Pupils from low-income families39%39% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English51%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support28%88 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan8%24 pupils with a plan
Average class size22.013 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils8%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)37%£181,350 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls168 / 142
White British pupils26%

Specialist SEND provision. SEN unit with 8 pupils, for autism, speech, language and communication.

To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Bristol, City of with autism provision.

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 19.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 26.1 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (42), emotional and mental health (36), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (10), Autistic spectrum disorder (8), Other difficulty or disability (7), Moderate learning difficulty (4).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll310330328365388408
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals39%37%31%27%27%25%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language51%49%43%37%34%33%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support30%28%26%22%18%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans5%4%2%1%1%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 93.1% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance93.1%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school19.8%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils3.62024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission2.3%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence6.9%6.7%7.1%6.9%3.7%4.8%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence4.6%4.5%5.1%4.7%2.6%3.1%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence2.3%2.2%2.0%2.2%1.1%1.7%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence19.8%21.4%23.1%20.5%7.8%11.4%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate3.69.52.74.13.2
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions01000

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers19.2full-time equivalent, 22 people
Pupils per teacher16.2Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers96%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants16.4full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£44,676
Teachers who left in the year17%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher2.12024/25

Money

From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Money in reserve-3%In the red: -£54k, -£163 per pupil
Money in against money out-£25kit spent more than it took in this year

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m1,55812 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate164 per 1,000 people80% higher than the England average
Nearest bus stop90 mHockeys Lane, 17 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Avanti Gardens SchoolFree school510 m381Good 202412Compare
Chester Park Infant SchoolCouncil610 m229Not inspectedCompare
Chester Park Junior SchoolCouncil760 m295Good 202311Compare
St Joseph's Catholic Primary SchoolRoman Catholic830 m213Good 202265Compare
Begbrook Primary AcademyAcademy880 m462Good 202342Compare
Minerva Primary AcademyAcademy0.9 miles345Good 202472Compare
Christ Church, Church of England Junior School, DownendChurch of England1.0 miles301Not inspected74Compare
Frome Vale AcademyAcademy1.1 miles203Report card 202667Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Fishponds CofE Primary School with the 50 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 50 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats24%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the bottom quarter of its group. Its score of 20 is 18 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 0 · middle 38 · highest 98100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 50 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Fishponds CofE Primary School, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.

SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Minerva Primary AcademyAcademy0.9 miles345Good 202472Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 20 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 20% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 11 to 36. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years25%below
-0.15
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 51 pupils
Ofsted inspection16% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 4.5 years old
Progress pupils make20%in line
-0.03
DfE progress measure; 51 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%in line
-0.04
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%below
-0.11
2024/25; 308 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%below
-0.09
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 51 pupils
What parents say0%no data

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Fishponds CofE Primary School a good school?

The figures are weak. Fishponds CofE Primary School scores 20 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 24% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 11 to 36, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is Fishponds CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Fishponds CofE Primary School good at its last full inspection on 9 March 2022. That was more than four years ago. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of a single grade.

How good are Fishponds CofE Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 51% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 2% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Fishponds CofE Primary School have?

310 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 420 places, so it is 74% full.

Is Fishponds CofE Primary School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 88 places were empty in 2024/25 (21% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Fishponds CofE Primary School?

Pupils were in school 93.1% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 20% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Fishponds CofE Primary School?

The average class had 22.0 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 8% of classes had more than 30 pupils.

Does Fishponds CofE Primary School have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It has sen unit for autism, speech, language and communication. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Fishponds Road, Fishponds, Bristol, BS16 3UH
Telephone
0117 903 0491
Website
fceps.org.uk
Principal
Ms Michelle Omoboni
Type of school
Sponsored academy (Academy sponsor led, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England, Diocese of Bristol
Multi-academy trust
Lighthouse Schools Partnership (33 schools)
Local authority
Bristol, City of
Ward
Frome Vale
Constituency
Bristol North East
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 September 2012 (new provision)
URN
138794 · LAESTAB 8012067 · UKPRN 10038344
Formerly
St Matthias and Dr Bell's CofE VA Primary School

Where these figures come from