North Petherton Primary School
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North Petherton Primary School is a council school in Bridgwater for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 409 pupils and room for 420. About 16 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 10 out of 100. That puts it well below schools like it, ahead of 2% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted visited in December 2025 and gave it a report card, which is below.
School Fields, North Petherton, Bridgwater, TA6 6LU01278 662442northpethertonprimary.co.ukMrs Melanie Lawson head teacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted visited on 2 December 2025. Instead of one overall word, it now gives a grade for each part of school life. Read the full report on Ofsted's website.
Ofsted says these new grades can't be lined up against the old one-word grades.
Earlier inspections (1)
| Date | Type | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 29 September 2021 | S5 Inspection | Good |
Results
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025
55 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | Somerset | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 55 | 62 | 56 | 52 | 54 | 54 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 69% | 63% | 75% | 65% | 83% | 72% | 60% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | 5% | 0% | 7% | 10% | 4% | 15% | 7% | 8% |
| Reading scoreReading average scaled score | 105.0 | 103.0 | 106.0 | 103.0 | 107.0 | 106.0 | 105.1 | 105.6 |
| Maths scoreMaths average scaled score | 103.0 | 102.0 | 106.0 | 105.0 | 105.0 | 105.0 | 103.7 | 104.6 |
| Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score | 105.0 | 102.0 | 107.0 | 105.0 | 106.0 | 109.0 | 104.5 | 105.2 |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | 82% | 69% | 80% | 67% | 91% | 78% | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | 75% | 71% | 80% | 81% | 91% | 87% | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | 87% | 74% | 79% | 77% | 87% | 81% | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | -0.7 | -1.5 | +0.7 | +0.4 | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | +0.5 | -0.2 | +0.0 | -0.3 | – | – |
| Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged | 64% | 50% | 45% | 36% | 73% | 62% | – | – |
| Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged | 71% | 66% | 82% | 73% | 86% | 76% | – | – |
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. 2 of the 3 gaps are 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
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.
Fewer than one place in twenty is empty, so in most years more families apply than there are places. Living close by, or already having a child here, makes a real difference. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.
The last child to get a place lived 1.3 miles away in 2025. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils, faith and other priority groups are placed first. After that, the closer you live, the better your chances. Type in your postcode to see how far away you are.
We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.
How places were given out for September 2025. More children applied than there were places. The last place went to a child living 1.3 miles from the school. Living closer than that didn't guarantee a place, but living much further away meant missing out that year.
| Entry | Places | Applied at all | Got a place | How far the last child lived | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Primary | 60 | 110 | 60 | 1.3 miles | LA |
| 2023 Primary | 60 | 120 | 60 | – | LA |
What a home within 1.3 miles of the school costs
Every home sold within that distance of the school (the typical cut-off over the last three years), of any type, from HM Land Registry records. If homes here cost more than the district average, that is the price people pay to live close enough to get in.
What parents say
From Ofsted's Parent View survey: 53 parents answered in the year to 6 April 2026. Parents choose whether to fill it in, and many only do so when an inspection is coming, so don't read too much into small differences. The England figures are the average for primary schools with enough answers to publish.
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.
Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 29.7 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 29.1 (England 27.3).
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (25), emotional and mental health (15), Specific learning difficulty (6), Autistic spectrum disorder (5), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (5), Moderate learning difficulty (4).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 409 | 408 | 412 | 403 | 406 | 414 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 16% | 18% | 17% | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 8% | 8% | 7% | 3% | 2% | 1% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 12% | 12% | 7% | 6% | 7% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 2% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 1% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.2% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 4.8% | 5.5% | 5.2% | 6.8% | 2.7% | 4.1% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 3.7% | 4.0% | 4.2% | 5.5% | 2.0% | 3.0% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 1.1% | 1.6% | 1.0% | 1.3% | 0.8% | 1.1% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 11.3% | 13.4% | 11.2% | 21.9% | 4.6% | 5.9% | 12.8% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 2.9 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | – | – |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
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
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.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Newton Community Primary School | Council | 1.3 miles | 93 | Good 2023 | 34 | Compare |
| Somerset Bridge Primary School | Council | 1.6 miles | 407 | Good 2024 | 79 | Compare |
| Hamp Academy | Academy | 1.9 miles | 307 | Good 2022 | 8 | Compare |
| Hamp Nursery and Infants' School | Council | 2.0 miles | 234 | Good 2023 | 11 | Compare |
| St Mary's Voluntary Controlled Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 2.4 miles | 490 | Good 2019 | 43 | Compare |
| Westover Green Community School and Autism Centre | Academy | 2.4 miles | 382 | Report card 2026 | 12 | Compare |
| St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Bridgwater | Academy | 2.5 miles | 199 | Good 2019 | 43 | Compare |
| St John and St Francis Church School | Academy | 2.8 miles | 421 | Good 2022 | 42 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares North Petherton Primary School with the 49 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 49 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 10 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 10% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 6 to 18. 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 at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 25% | in line | -0.02 | 2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 55 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 20% | well below | -0.49 | Ofsted report card, 0.8 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | in line | -0.04 | DfE progress measure; 55 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | below | -0.08 | results and attendance falling year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | in line | +0.03 | 2024/25; 362 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | below | -0.05 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 55 pupils |
| What parents say | 5% | below | -0.04 | Ofsted's Parent View survey, allowing for how many parents replied; 53 responses |
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 North Petherton Primary School a good school?
The figures are weak. North Petherton Primary School scores 10 out of 100. That is well below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 2% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 6 to 18, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.
What is North Petherton Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted no longer gives schools one overall grade. When it visited on 2 December 2025 it rated teaching as needs attention, achievement as needs attention, behaviour and attendance as as expected, leadership as needs attention.
How good are North Petherton Primary School's SATs results?
In summer 2025, 69% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 5% went further and reached the higher level.
How many pupils does North Petherton Primary School have?
409 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 420 places, so it is 97% full.
Is North Petherton Primary School oversubscribed, and how far away can you live?
Yes. For September 2025 the last place went to a child living 1.3 miles away. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils and other priority groups come before distance, so the cut-off moves every year.
What is attendance like at North Petherton Primary School?
Pupils were in school 95.2% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 11% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
What do parents say about North Petherton Primary School?
77% of the 53 parents who answered Ofsted's Parent View survey would recommend it to other parents, and 79% say their child is happy there. Across England, 87% of parents would recommend their child's school.
How big are the classes at North Petherton Primary School?
The average class had 29.3 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 27% of classes had more than 30 pupils.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- School Fields, North Petherton, Bridgwater, TA6 6LU
- Telephone
- 01278 662442
- Website
- www.northpethertonprimary.co.uk
- Head Teacher
- Mrs Melanie Lawson
- Type of school
- Council school (Community school, local authority maintained schools)
- Phase
- Primary school, ages 4-11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Local authority
- Somerset
- Ward
- North Petherton
- Constituency
- Bridgwater
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 September 2009 (result of amalgamation)
- URN
- 135830 · LAESTAB 9332335 · UKPRN 10078551
- Formerly
- North Petherton Community Junior School, North Petherton Infants' School
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- Year 6 results: DfE key stage 2 tables, 2024/25.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, consistent financial reporting 2024/25.
- Admissions outcomes: Somerset council's published allocation statistics (source), entry years 2023, 2025.
- House prices: HM Land Registry price paid data, December 2023 to December 2025, placed by postcode.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.