Southfields Primary School

Southfields Primary School is a good school with strong provision across education, behaviour, personal development, leadership and early years. Inspectors found pupils are happy, secure and safe, behave calmly and respectfully, and benefit from a redesigned curriculum that builds broad knowledge. Recent national test outcomes show raised expectations are being realised, and reading is well supported from early years through phonics and comprehension. The school's specialist speech, language and communication provision is a notable strength, and its expertise is shared so pupils with SEND can access the curriculum. Personal development is promoted well through assemblies, clubs, safety training and community links, and safeguarding is effective. The school is in a period of leadership transition, with an interim headteacher in post and a new headteacher appointed from April 2025; suitable interim arrangements are in place. This was the first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic. The main area for improvement is that opportunities to deepen, extend and apply knowledge are not consistent across the curriculum, particularly in writing. As a result, pupils generally learn the intended curriculum well but do not always achieve as well as they could.

Strengths

• Pupils feel happy, secure and safe and treat others with respect.
• The redesigned curriculum builds a broad range of important knowledge well.
• Phonics and reading support are strong, including help for pupils who fall behind.
• Specialist speech, language and communication provision supports pupils with SEND effectively and is shared across the school.
• Pupils behave calmly and respectfully, with older pupils taking leadership roles.
• Effective actions have reduced suspensions and helped pupils address behaviour causes.
• Personal development is promoted through assemblies, clubs, safety training and community links.
• Early years focuses well on speech, language and communication through play-based learning.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• Governors bring strong community links, and leaders consider staff workload and well-being.

Areas for Improvement

• Opportunities to deepen, extend and apply knowledge are not consistent across the curriculum, including in writing.

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 Southfields Primary School attended 94.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 15.0% 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, 2.4% of pupils at Southfields 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 Southfields Primary School had 17.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 11.8% 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, 18.9% of pupils at Southfields Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.8% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has resourced provision with 5 pupils.

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 Southfields Primary School received £7,601 and spent £7,476 for each of its 540 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £176,000 (£327 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).

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

What is Southfields Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Southfields Primary School is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was Southfields Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Southfields Primary School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Southfields Primary School have?

Southfields Primary School has 540 pupils on roll.

What age range does Southfields Primary School cover?

Southfields Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 45% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Southfields Primary School?

Southfields Primary School is at Southfields Estate, Stanground, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, PE2 8PU.