School profile

North Petherton Primary School

Primary · Community school · Bridgwater, TA6 6LU

Requires improvement

Map showing North Petherton Primary School

Schools
Numbers on map: pupil ages
Outstanding
Good
Requires improvement
Inadequate
Not rated

National ranking

Key stage 2 2024/25

#5,706 of 15,057

Better than 62% of schools in England

Ranked by pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

North Petherton Primary School Ofsted rating

Ofsted report cardInspected 2 Dec 2025

Area360 rating
Requires improvement
Inclusion
Needs attention
Curriculum and teaching
Needs attention
Achievement
Needs attention
Attendance and behaviour
Expected standard
Personal development and wellbeing
Expected standard
Leadership and governance
Needs attention
Early years
Needs attention
Safeguarding
Met

School facts

PhasePrimary
TypeCommunity school
Ages4 to 11
Pupils409
GenderMixed
Head teacherMrs Melanie Lawson
Local authoritySomerset
Opened01 Sept 2009
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 135830.

Key stage 2 results

2024/25

Year 6 results in national curriculum tests and teacher assessments. The expected standard is the level pupils should reach by the end of primary school.

MeasureThis schoolSomersetEngland
Expected standard in reading, writing and maths69%, better than England, better than Somerset57%63%
Higher standard in reading, writing and mathsScore of 110 or more in reading and maths, greater depth in writing.5%, worse than England, similar to Somerset7%8%
Average reading scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.105, similar to England, similar to Somerset105106
Average maths scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.103, worse than England, similar to Somerset103105
Average grammar, punctuation and spelling scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.105, similar to England, similar to Somerset104105
Expected standard in reading82%, better than England, better than Somerset72%76%
Expected standard in writing87%, better than England, better than Somerset70%73%
Expected standard in maths75%, similar to England, better than Somerset70%75%
Pupils taking tests55--

Source: DfE, Compare school performance, Compare school performance 2024-2025.

Pupils

2025/26

Pupils at the January school census.

MeasureThis school
Total pupils409
Girls183
Boys226
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.16.4%
First language not English8.3%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.420
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.2.6%
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.52
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.14
Average class size29.3

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics and School capacity, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Pupils ethnicity

2025/26

Share of pupils in each ethnic group, as recorded at the January school census.

Pupils ethnicity

White British
88.3%
Other White
5.1%
African
2%
White and Asian
1.2%
Indian
0.7%
Other ethnic group
0.7%
Other mixed
0.5%
Pakistani
0.5%
Gypsy/Roma
0.2%
White and Black African
0.2%

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Teachers and staff

2025/26

Staff numbers are full-time equivalent (FTE). Teacher turnover shows where the school's teachers were by the following year's census.

MeasureThis school
Pupils per teacher21.3
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.9.6
Teachers (FTE)19.2
Teaching assistants (FTE)23.03
Support staff (FTE)31.39
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2518.6
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/2516.2
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/251
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/251.4

Source: DfE, School workforce in England, Reporting year 2025, published 04 Jun 2026.

Admissions

2026/27

Applications and offers for the main entry points. Offers from oversubscribed schools depend on each school's admissions criteria; check the local authority admissions page.

MeasureThis school
Offers made (Reception)Places offered on national offer day.60
Applications (Reception)Includes every preference parents listed.91
First preference applications (Reception)Families who put this school as their first choice.55
First preference offers (Reception)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.55
Applications from another local authority (Reception)0

Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers, Academic year 2026/27, published 18 Jun 2026.

Attendance

2025/26

Share of possible sessions missed.

MeasureThis schoolSomersetEngland
Overall absence4.7%, similar to England, better than Somerset5.3%5.1%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.11.7%, similar to England, similar to Somerset13.1%13.2%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.0%, better than England, better than Somerset1%1%

Source: DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England, Autumn and spring term 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

Suspensions and exclusions

2024/25

Suspension rate is the number of suspensions per 100 pupils, so one pupil can be counted more than once. A permanently excluded pupil is removed from the school roll.

MeasureThis school
Suspension rate0%
Pupils with one or more suspensions0%
Permanent exclusion rate0%
Permanent exclusions0

Source: DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, Academic year 2024/25, published 09 Jul 2026.

Nearby schools

Ratings include official Ofsted judgements and Area360 summaries of inspection grades. Open a school’s profile for its inspection grades and results.

Schools near North Petherton Primary School
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
1.3 miPrimaryNorth Newton Community Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
1.6 miPrimarySomerset Bridge Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good

Frequently asked questions about North Petherton Primary School

What is North Petherton Primary School's Ofsted rating?

North Petherton Primary School is rated Requires improvement, last inspected on 2 Dec 2025. Recent Ofsted inspections have no single overall grade, so Area360 summarises the inspection grades.

How does North Petherton Primary School rank in England?

North Petherton Primary School ranks 5,706 of 15,057 schools in England for Key stage 2 2024/25 (better than 62% of schools).

What are North Petherton Primary School's SATs results?

In 2024/25, 69% of pupils at North Petherton Primary School met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (England 63%).

How hard is it to get into North Petherton Primary School?

For Reception entry in 2026/27, North Petherton Primary School made 60 offers from 91 applications (1.5 per offer), and 55 of 55 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend North Petherton Primary School?

North Petherton Primary School has 409 pupils aged 4 to 11.

What is the capacity of North Petherton Primary School?

North Petherton Primary School had 420 school places in 2024/25.

How big are classes at North Petherton Primary School?

At North Petherton Primary School, the average class had 29.3 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 21.3 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at North Petherton Primary School?

In 2025/26, pupils at North Petherton Primary School missed 4.7% of sessions (England 5.1%), and 11.7% were persistently absent, missing 10% or more of sessions (England 13.2%).

Figures are the latest published by the Department for Education for each measure. Small numbers are suppressed by the publisher to protect pupils' privacy. Read how Area360 school ratings and rankings work.