About Us
At Burley St Matthias C of E Primary School, we strive to provide our children with a bespoke enriched curriculum to ensure they can be successful in whatever they aspire to do. We encourage everybody to believe in themselves and welcome new challenges so they can achieve in life, now and in the future.
Burley St Matthias is a place where there are no limits on learning
A warm welcome from our Headteacher - Mrs Hopkinson
A very warm welcome to our school website – we hope you find all the information you need. If not, please give us a ring. We are always more than happy to arrange visits to come and see the school, so please let us know if you’d like to have a look around. Our visitors often comment on how friendly the atmosphere is here, so come along and experience it for yourself.
Burley St Matthias serves a very diverse population in the heart of the city and not far from Headingley Stadium. We are very proud of the fact that you can meet people here from all walks of life and from all around the world. The globe on our school logo helps to sum that up and the thumbprint on it shows how we value each and every person’s uniqueness – “Everyone Is Special”.
With our high expectations, our inclusive approach to special needs, our broad range of enrichment opportunities, a very committed and caring staff and our superb outdoor space, Burley St Matthias offers a wonderful learning environment for everyone who comes here.We look forward to meeting you!
Allie Hopkinson
Headteacher
Our School
Burley St Matthias is a 210 place Church of England Primary School, one mile from the city centre in North West Leeds. Overlooking the rich industrial landscape of the Kirkstall Valley, we are within walking distance of a Nature Reserve, Kirkstall Abbey, Armley Mills Industrial Museum, Burley Park, the River Aire, the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and Leeds City Centre itself.
We cater for 4 – 11 year olds in two Victorian buildings, which have undergone extensive internal refurbishment to offer modern facilities for our learners. The North Building houses the younger children from Reception to Year 2 and the South Building accommodates children from Years 3 to 6. Each building has a playground and a field. There are two spacious halls and all the classrooms are light and airy.
All classrooms have interactive white boards and access to banks of laptops which are used to deliver learning in all areas of the curriculum. In Key Stage 2, our pupils are allocated a Chrome Book, which they can use at home and at school for their learning.
We provide a calm, caring and stimulating environment, where children learn through a wide variety of first-hand experiences. Our children are taught to value and respect the diversity of religions, cultures and customs and to value one another. The last Ofsted Inspection Report found that pupils make good progress from their different starting points, including disadvantaged pupils and that the quality of care, nurture and support that is provided enables pupils to feel safe, attend regularly and achieve well.
Whether you are considering our school as a new place for your child or have children already with us, we hope you will find our website a good source of information and that it helps you get a 'feel' for what it is like to be part of our community. Please get in touch if you need any more information or have any further feedback. We would love to hear from you!
What People Say About Us
Thank you to one of our parents for this recent email (reproduced with permission):
I came to the UK with two children amid Covid restrictions. It was bewildering trying to figure out how things work in the UK. I hardly knew anyone in Leeds. But Mrs. Thomas and Mrs. Timmins—you made us feel so welcome as you took us into the BSM family, and suddenly we weren’t quite so alone anymore.
My children didn’t know how to speak English. They are speaking fluently now. I was worried that they couldn’t read English, but Mrs. St Rose and Ms. Marray assured me that they would take care of my daughter, and they have. I was surprised at how quickly she learned! Everyone I have met here, from Mr. Mohammed who greets us at the gate to all the teachers—Ms. Hudson, Mr. Ahmed, Ms. Cordingley, Mrs. Wood, Mrs. Nassim, and the parents of my children's friends, have made the BSM experience very special for us.
I have never had the chance to speak to the headteachers of the school, but would you please convey to them on my behalf that they are doing an amazing job? “Amazing” is the word that my son keeps using to describe the people at BSM. My children have been learning kindness, caring, loving, sharing at BSM.
We are committed to ensuring all visitors have a welcoming and accessible experience at our school. If you require any support during or before your visit, please don't hesitate to reach out to our staff for assistance. Should you require paper copies of any of the information on our website, please contact the school office at