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Best primary schools in Bristol

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Best primary schools in Clifton

Best primary schools in Redland

Best primary schools in Henleaze

Best primary schools in Bristol City centre

Best primary schools in Southville

Special Educational Needs

Families applying to the most in demand state primary schools in Bristol will need to live nearby to be in with a chance of success. Understanding the admissions policies (including the oversubscription criteria) of the schools you favour is essential when selecting your list of three preferred schools. A little unusually for England, many of the popular Church of England primaries in the city do not have a faith requirement for applicants. Our advice on primary school admissions covers the application process and the best ways to research your options.

Primary Schools in Clifton

Clifton’s better primaries are Christ Church Primary School and St John’s Primary School, both routinely well above average academically and often oversubscribed; Christ Church boasts an ‘outstanding’ grading from Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS). Despite being church schools, children of all faiths and none are invited to apply, with the local authority handling the admissions process.

A fair proportion of children at these schools will go on to independent secondaries in the city at age 11.  State primary schools do not prepare pupils for 11+ exams so parents have to make their own arrangements, possibly including tutoring. The senior part of Clifton College starts at age 13 so children would have to do years 7 and 8 at Clifton College Prep or a 13+ prep school before moving on into year 9.  

Best state secondary schools in Clifton

Best private schools in Clifton

Best nurseries in Clifton

Primary Schools in Redland

Two excellent state secondaries have attracted ambitious middle-class families to the area, which in turn has upped standards at the local primary schools, the top picks of which are Bishop Road, Sefton Park, Brunel Field and Ashley Down in Bishopston, Cotham Gardens in Cotham; St Bonaventure’s Catholic Primary (Bishopston) and Ss Peter and Paul RC Primary (Redland) for Catholics or, depending on how oversubscribed it is, families fully in support of a Catholic education.

A few children may also go on to the city’s independent day schools at year 7, but primary schools will not offer any support for entrance assessments. Tutoring or at least familiarisation with the process might be handy here, but it is not prevalent, and largely unknown, not admitted to or discouraged by incoming schools.

Best state secondary schools in Redland

Best private schools in Redland

Best nurseries in Redland

Primary Schools in Henleaze

The best local offerings are the very popular Elmlea Infants and Junior and Westbury Park School both of which consistently perform well academically. Stoke Bishop Church of England Primary School and Westbury-on-Trym Church of England Academy are also highly regarded. Admissions policies for these schools are handled by the Local Authority and do not call for compulsory church attendance, although faith is still a part of school life.

Less sought-after but still worthy of consideration, St Ursula’s E-Act Academy - very well located at the top of the downs – and Henleaze Infants and Junior Schools where passage from infant to junior school is guaranteed. These schools share their large site in an attractive part of Bristol with Claremont School, a special school catering for children with physical disabilities and the profound end of the learning difficulties range.

Best state secondary schools in Henleaze

Best private schools in Henleaze

Best nurseries in Henleaze

Primary Schools in Bristol City Centre

Cathedral Primary School sits cosily at the west end of Bristol Cathedral. Oversubscribed and with no catchment area or faith-based criterion, places are allocated by ‘random allocation’, once usual criteria such as ‘looked after’ children, EHCP holders and siblings have been applied. Willow Park Church of England Primary School is new and is an amalgam of two former C of E schools in central Bristol.

Best state secondary schools in Bristol City Centre

Best private schools in Bristol City Centre

Best nurseries in Bristol City Centre

Primary Schools in Southville

Southville is well served by its primary schools: Ashton Gate, Southville Primary and Victoria Park. St Mary Redcliffe Church of England Primary – often oversubscribed - is just across the river from the senior school of the same name, though there is no formal link between the two schools. Totterdown’s primary school Hillcrest Primary, performs well but it is fair to say that school provision at secondary level in this neck of the woods has yet to catch up with the rapid gentrification of these areas.

Best state secondary schools in Southville

Best private schools in Southville

Best nurseries in Southville

State primary schools for children with special educational needs in Bristol

Bristol City Council sets out all its SEN provision and services on its website. There are about a dozen specialist state settings catering for the whole range of learning difficulties, including physical needs, autism and social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. Most are all-though schools, although North Star 82° is a special state primary with provision for children with social, emotional and mental health needs.

Accommodating children (of both primary and secondary age) with physical disabilities and profound and multiple learning difficulties is Claremont School, on two sites both attached to mainstream schools in Henleaze and Redland; Kingsweston, further out to the north west and New Fosseway in disadvantaged Hartcliffe take children with severe learning difficulties.

Mainstream primary schools with additional resource provision include Oasis Academy New Oak, with two bases, one specialising in hearing impairment and another for autism.

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