SCHOOL PROFILE

Bitterne Church of England Primary School

Primary Voluntary controlled school URN 116339
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 417 Published school capacity
Capacity used 94.7% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 4 – 11 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest graded inspection

4 February 2025
Latest published outcome Not judged
OEIF
Quality of education Requires improvement
Behaviour & attitudes Good
Personal development Good
Leadership & management Requires improvement
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Voluntary controlled school
Phase Primary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Church of England
Local authority Southampton
Trust Not applicable
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 395 351 full-time · 44 part-time
Female pupils 191 48.4% of pupils
Male pupils 204 51.6% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

26.3%
1.5 pts above England
School 26.3%
Southampton 37.0%
South East 19.0%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

19.5%
0.8 pts below England
School 19.5%
Southampton 30.8%
South East 15.6%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

5.1%
4.1 pts above England
School 5.1%
Southampton 1.9%
South East 1.7%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
72.7%
287
Any other White background
7.3%
29
African
3.3%
13
Indian
3.0%
12
Any other Mixed background
2.5%
10
White and Black African
2.5%
10
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 19.8% 78 of 395 pupils
1.1 pts below England England: 20.8%
School 19.8%
Southampton 23.2%
South East 21.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 16.2% 64 pupils
England 14.8% 1.4 pts above
EHC plans 3.5% 14 pupils
England 6.0% 2.5 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Speech, language & communication 22
Social, emotional & mental health 19
Moderate learning difficulty 17
Autistic spectrum disorder 11
Specific learning difficulty 6
Multi-sensory impairment 1

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 2 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading, writing & maths

47.0% 13.4 pts below England
School 47.0%
Southampton 55.0%
South East 60.1%
England 60.4%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading

68.0%

5.8 pts below England

School 68.0%
Southampton 68.4%
South East 74.0%
England 73.8%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Writing

50.0%

20.3 pts below England

School 50.0%
Southampton 67.9%
South East 70.5%
England 70.3%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Maths

67.0%

5.0 pts below England

School 67.0%
Southampton 67.3%
South East 70.9%
England 72.0%
School results show the percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard. Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages and are not pupil-weighted official attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

4.89%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

1.33 pts lower than England
School 4.89%
Southampton 7.24%
South East 6.30%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

13.66%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

2.15 pts lower than England
School 13.66%
Southampton 19.88%
South East 15.75%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

0.55%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

1.26 pts lower than England
School 0.55%
Southampton 2.32%
South East 1.93%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open primary schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

94.7% 6.5 pts above England
Bitterne Church of England Primary School
94.7%
Southampton
92.3%
South East
89.5%
England
88.2%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information