Sitwell Nursery & Infant School

Sitwell Infant School is a happy, nurturing and ambitious school where pupils feel safe and behave well. This was its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and it was previously exempt from routine inspection after an outstanding judgement; under current arrangements, no overall effectiveness grade is awarded. The school’s strong relationships, reading curriculum, early years provision, support for pupils with SEND and wider personal development all stand out. Leaders have designed a highly ambitious curriculum and, in most subjects, teaching helps pupils achieve well. However, the school’s agreed teaching approaches are not consistently applied in some subjects, so a few pupils do not develop the depth of understanding leaders intend. Leadership, governance, staff development and safeguarding are effective, and parents are positive partners in pupils’ learning.

Strengths

• Pupils are safe, happy and well behaved
• High ambitions for pupils are realised
• Nurturing relationships underpin school life
• Strong parent partnership supports reading at home
• Inclusive clubs are adapted for pupils with SEND
• Reading and phonics are a clear strength
• Daily phonics sessions are well structured and engaging
• Reading books are closely matched to pupils’ phonics knowledge
• Gaps in phonics knowledge are identified and addressed quickly
• The curriculum is highly ambitious and carefully sequenced
• Pupils with SEND are identified promptly and supported well
• Early years provision sparks curiosity and prepares children for Year 1
• Pupils’ broader development, including British values and leadership roles, is strong
• Leaders prioritise staff development and well-being
• Governance is effective and provides support and challenge
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• Effective teaching approaches are not consistently applied in some subjects
• Some pupils do not develop the depth of knowledge leaders intend in a few subjects

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 Sitwell Nursery & Infant School attended 94.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 13.1% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Sitwell Nursery & Infant 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 Sitwell Nursery & Infant School had 24.3 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, 36.2% of pupils at Sitwell Nursery & Infant School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.1% 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 Sitwell Nursery & Infant School received £7,815 and spent £7,676 for each of its 214 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £95,000 (£446 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 Rotherham · Rotherham local authority: places and applications

What is Sitwell Nursery & Infant School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Sitwell Nursery & Infant School is Good, from an inspection in June 2025.

When was Sitwell Nursery & Infant School last inspected by Ofsted?

Sitwell Nursery & Infant School was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does Sitwell Nursery & Infant School have?

Sitwell Nursery & Infant School has 221 pupils on roll.

What age range does Sitwell Nursery & Infant School cover?

Sitwell Nursery & Infant School for pupils aged 3 to 7.

Where is Sitwell Nursery & Infant School?

Sitwell Nursery & Infant School is at Grange Road, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, S60 3LA.