St Julian's Church School Review 2026: High-performing Church of England village primary near Bath

A small rural primary with a distinctive sense of space and purpose, St Julian’s combines village-school closeness with outcomes that stand up well in England terms. Its main building dates from 1843, with classrooms and outdoor areas arranged around a playground, a small field known as the paddock, an adventure play area, and a garden area.

Leadership is anchored by Headteacher Miss Isobel Mills, with the school part of the Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership.

For families, the practical appeal is clear: a structured school day, wraparound care from early morning, and a curriculum that, on the published data, delivers very strong Key Stage 2 outcomes.

The feel here is shaped by small-school relationships, clear expectations, and the rhythms of a Church of England setting. In the most recent inspection narrative, pupils were described as enjoying school, with positive relationships between staff and pupils and a calm, orderly environment for learning.

Faith is present without dominating the day. Collective worship is part of the timetable and sits alongside a broad curriculum, so children experience Christian values as something practical, linked to how they treat each other and how they approach learning.

One of the school’s differentiators is outdoor learning. The site layout lends itself to it, with the paddock, adventure play area and school garden supporting lessons and play. Early years outdoor provision was enhanced with a purpose-built canopy and features such as water play, mark making areas, a mud kitchen and a role play area, enabling free-flow access for the youngest pupils.

Play is also treated as a serious part of development rather than simply break time. The school describes itself as an OPAL school, meaning it has adopted the Outdoor Play and Learning approach and frames play as central to wellbeing, behaviour, and social development.

The headline story is Key Stage 2 strength. In 2024, 94% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined, compared with an England average of 62%. At the higher standard, 36.33% achieved greater depth in reading, writing and mathematics, compared with the England average of 8%.

The scaled scores add depth to that picture. Reading was 108 and mathematics 109, with grammar, punctuation and spelling at 110. These are all well above typical national baselines for scaled scores.

On FindMySchool’s ranking system, which uses official data to compare schools, St Julian’s is ranked 885th in England for primary outcomes and 2nd in Bath. That places the school well above the England average, within the top 10% bracket in England terms.

A small cohort can produce year-to-year variation, so it is worth looking for consistency across multiple years. Still, these figures are the kind that usually reflect strong classroom routines, effective reading instruction, and careful attention to gaps in understanding, particularly for pupils who need extra help.

Parents comparing nearby primaries should use the FindMySchool local hub and Comparison Tool to place these results alongside other Bath and North East Somerset schools, then sense-check the academic story against the school’s wider offer.

Reading is treated as a priority from Reception onwards. Phonics is taught with a clear structure, and books are matched carefully to the sounds pupils know, helping children develop confidence rather than guessing strategies. When pupils fall behind, support is targeted and timely, which matters in a school of this size because a small number of pupils can shift cohort outcomes substantially.

Mathematics teaching is described as making strong use of subject knowledge and resources, with assessment used to identify gaps and adapt learning before moving to more complex content. That approach tends to suit a mixed-ability primary because it prevents pupils from accumulating misconceptions that later become hard to shift.

A strong theme across the evidence is inclusion. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are expected to take part in ambitious learning, with external agencies used where appropriate and classroom strategies adapted so that pupils can access the same curriculum. The SIAMS report also points to extensive provision for pupils with SEND and frames this as an established strength.

One clear development point is curriculum precision in some foundation subjects. Where knowledge is not defined clearly enough, progress can become patchy, particularly for pupils who rely on tight sequencing and explicit recall. This is the kind of issue that is usually fixable through curriculum mapping and subject leader training, and it is a useful question to raise if you are visiting.

As a village primary, the secondary pathway is shaped by the Bath and North East Somerset admissions landscape and family preference, rather than a single guaranteed destination. What matters more is the school’s preparation for transition.

Year 6 transition is approached explicitly in personal development work, and the school has marked the move up with events such as a Year 6 Moving Up celebration at Bath Abbey, which helps pupils name the change and treat it as a milestone rather than a jump into the unknown.

For families considering later selective routes, it is sensible to ask how the school supports pupils who are applying to selective or faith-based secondaries, and whether preparation is school-led, parent-led, or a mix.

St Julian’s is an academy within Bath and North East Somerset, and Reception applications are made through the local authority’s coordinated process, rather than directly to the school.

Demand is real but not on the scale of some city primaries. For Reception entry in the latest available admissions dataset, there were 32 applications for 16 offers, which is 2 applications for each place. The school is marked as oversubscribed on that dataset.

For September 2026 Reception entry, Bath and North East Somerset set the closing date at midnight on 15 January 2026, with offers due on 16 April 2026. Late applications are still possible, but they are processed after on-time applications.

Open days and tours are handled in a practical way. The school indicates that families considering Reception in September 2026 can request a visit, while noting that group tours for 2026 to 2027 have already completed.

If you are considering a move into the area and an in-year place, the school publishes an in-year application route and encourages a visit before applying, which is particularly useful for children who may be anxious about change.

Families with tight deadlines should use FindMySchoolMap Search to check travel practicality and compare options, then keep a shortlist using Saved Schools so you can act quickly if a preferred school has no space.

Wellbeing here is treated as a whole-school responsibility rather than an add-on. Staff expectations around behaviour are clear, and pupils are supported to play and work safely with each other, including in outdoor environments.

The safeguarding message is direct and reassuring. The latest Ofsted inspection on 19 April 2023 confirmed the school continues to be Good and stated that safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe through the curriculum, including understanding healthy and unhealthy relationships and knowing how to raise worries. Bullying is described as rare, with issues resolved quickly when they occur.

Leadership opportunities also function as a pastoral tool. Roles such as librarians, house captains, and membership of the ethos, equality and eco team give pupils responsibility and help quieter children find a defined place in school life.

For a small school, enrichment is unusually visible in the published evidence. Trips are used as curriculum tools, not just rewards. Examples referenced include visits that bring history learning to life, such as Stonehenge and Radstock Museum.

There is also an outward-looking strand. Pupils have taken part in Erasmus activity, with overseas and UK links referenced, which can broaden cultural understanding in a village context.

Clubs vary termly, but the school lists examples such as Lego, gymnastics and a library club, alongside sport options. These are not niche, but they are practical, run-able in a small setting, and they give children chances to test interests without heavy selection.

Outdoor play is structured as a pillar. Becoming an OPAL school in 2020 is presented as a deliberate improvement approach, designed to increase active play and help children practise self-regulation and social skills.

If your child thrives with space, movement and hands-on learning, the physical setting, paddock, garden and adventure play areas make this a genuinely relevant strength rather than marketing language.

This is a state-funded primary school with no tuition fees.

Families should still plan for the normal day-to-day costs that come with any primary, including uniform, trips and clubs, plus optional wraparound care charges where used.

The school day is clearly laid out. Gates open at 8.40am, registration is at 8.55am, and the school day ends at 3.15pm, with collective worship scheduled in the afternoon.

Wraparound care is in place. Breakfast club runs from 7.45am and after-school club offers sessions to 4.15pm, 5.00pm or 5.30pm, with booking requirements and published session pricing.

For transport, this is a rural village setting south of Bath, so many families will rely on a mix of walking routes and car drop-off. If you are weighing more than one school, test the route at drop-off time and consider whether wraparound care is likely to be needed during winter months.

• Small-school scale. With a capacity of 112 pupils, year groups are small. This can be brilliant for confidence and staff knowing children well, but it can feel limiting for pupils who want a very large peer group.

• Competition for Reception places. The latest available admissions dataset shows 32 applications for 16 offers. If you are set on this school, do not assume places will be available without applying on time.

• Curriculum clarity in some subjects. The identified improvement area is how clearly knowledge is set out in some foundation subjects. Ask how this has been addressed since the 2023 inspection.

• Rural logistics. Travel time and after-school arrangements can be more complex in a village setting, especially for working families. Wraparound provision helps, but it is worth checking availability and how it fits your week.

St Julian’s is a high-performing village primary with a strong reading culture, a calm learning environment, and a real emphasis on outdoor learning, play, and purposeful enrichment. Its small size brings closeness and consistency, and the evidence points to strong inclusion for pupils with additional needs. Best suited to families who want a Church of England ethos, a rural setting, and strong academic outcomes in a small-school community. The main hurdle is securing a place if your year is oversubscribed.