Tickhill Estfeld Primary School

Tickhill Estfeld Primary School is a warm, caring and inclusive school where pupils feel safe, valued and part of a close community. The inspection found strong practice in attendance and behaviour, early years, inclusion, and personal development and wellbeing, with safeguarding standards met. Attendance is consistently high and persistent absence is low; behaviour is calm and respectful; the early years provision gives children a secure, language-rich start; and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive excellent support. Pupils achieve well overall and often exceed national figures in reading, writing and mathematics, and the writing curriculum has been strengthened. However, achievement, curriculum and teaching, and leadership and governance are judged at the expected standard rather than strong. High-prior-attaining pupils are not always sufficiently challenged, pupils do not always get enough opportunities to deepen their thinking, and in some wider subjects pupils lack the knowledge needed to complete tasks confidently. Handwriting consistency is also being improved. Leaders have a clear understanding of strengths and priorities and have managed significant staffing changes, including the appointment of a new headteacher since the last inspection, while keeping routines stable. Governance is effective, staff feel valued and supported, and parents speak highly of communication and the caring ethos. Next steps focus on implementing the curriculum consistently, adapting learning for high-prior-attaining pupils across all subjects, and embedding leadership at all levels so improvement work drives progress across all priorities.

Strengths

• Warm, caring and inclusive school culture where pupils feel safe and valued
• Attendance consistently high with persistent absence well below national averages
• Calm, respectful and positive behaviour with pupils reporting bullying is very rare
• Strong early years provision with a calm, language-rich environment and strong transition arrangements
• Excellent support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities
• Rich personal development programme covering relationships, safety, equality and British values
• Strong pastoral care, including a family support worker and wellbeing ambassadors
• Wide range of clubs, cultural, artistic and outdoor experiences open to all pupils
• Disadvantaged pupils are well supported to access all parts of school life
• Effective governance and strong staff wellbeing, with staff feeling valued and supported

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum implementation is not consistently strong across all subjects
• High-prior-attaining pupils do not always receive suitably adapted challenge
• Pupils do not always get enough opportunities to deepen their thinking
• In some wider subjects, pupils lack the knowledge needed to complete tasks confidently
• Handwriting development is not yet consistent across the school
• Some aspects of leadership are still embedding after recent staffing changes
• Leadership at all levels needs to be embedded so improvement work consistently drives progress

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Tickhill Estfeld Primary School attended 95.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.2% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.9% of pupils at Tickhill Estfeld Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Tickhill Estfeld Primary School had 25.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 9.2% of pupils at Tickhill Estfeld Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.8% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Tickhill Estfeld Primary School received £6,299 and spent £6,348 for each of its 218 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £43,000 (-£196 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Doncaster · Doncaster local authority: places and applications

What is Tickhill Estfeld Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Tickhill Estfeld Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was Tickhill Estfeld Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Tickhill Estfeld Primary School was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does Tickhill Estfeld Primary School have?

Tickhill Estfeld Primary School has 218 pupils on roll.

What age range does Tickhill Estfeld Primary School cover?

Tickhill Estfeld Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Tickhill Estfeld Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 71% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Tickhill Estfeld Primary School?

Tickhill Estfeld Primary School is at Common Lane, Tickhill, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, DN11 9JA.