Canklow Woods Primary School

Canklow Woods Primary is a welcoming, vibrant school where strong relationships and high expectations underpin pupils’ good behaviour and positive attitudes. Inspectors judged all key areas — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years — as good. Pupils, including those with SEND, are well supported and make positive contributions, and children in the early years get a strong start, particularly in language and vocabulary. The curriculum is broad and ambitious, reading and phonics are high priorities, and mathematics fluency is emphasised. Attendance has improved and now compares favourably with national rates, and safeguarding is effective. The school benefits from trust support and staff value professional development. Published 2024 outcomes do not reflect current pupils; leaders have addressed lower attainment and their work is having a positive impact. This was the first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic. There are areas to improve. Occasionally learning tasks do not help pupils learn the intended curriculum as well as they could, so some pupils’ knowledge is less secure. Expectations for handwriting and early letter formation are inconsistent, meaning some pupils do not develop fluent, legible writing. Extra-curricular opportunities beyond sport are limited, restricting pupils’ wider talents and interests.

Strengths

• Welcoming, vibrant and caring school with strong positive relationships.
• Pupils behave well, are kind and courteous, and feel safe.
• Broad and ambitious curriculum with a clear sequence from early years to Year 6.
• Reading and phonics are taught consistently well, with expert support for pupils who fall behind.
• Mathematics fluency is prioritised to help pupils tackle problems efficiently.
• Pupils with SEND are identified quickly and expertly supported to thrive.
• Early years provision gives children a great start, with a strong focus on language and vocabulary.
• Attendance has improved consistently and compares favourably with national rates.
• Personal development prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain, including fairness and safety.
• Trust support and board accountability are effective, and staff value professional development.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Some learning tasks do not help pupils learn the intended curriculum securely.
• Expectations for handwriting and early letter formation are inconsistent, hindering fluent writing.
• Extra-curricular opportunities beyond sport are limited, restricting pupils’ wider talents and interests.

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 Canklow Woods Primary School attended 94.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 16.6% 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 Canklow Woods 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 Canklow Woods Primary School had 22.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.1% 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, 21.2% of pupils at Canklow Woods Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.9% 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 2024–25 Canklow Woods Primary School received £7,930 and spent £7,592 for each of its 237 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £265,000 (£1,122 per pupil).

Across all 16 schools of White Woods Primary Academy Trust, income was £6,728 and spending £6,451 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

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

Canklow Woods Primary School is part of White Woods Primary Academy Trust, which runs 16 schools. The nearest others:

• Brinsworth Manor Junior School Rotherham
• Brinsworth Manor Infant School Rotherham
• Whiston Junior and Infant School Rotherham
• Whiston Worrygoose Junior and Infant School Rotherham
• Wickersley Northfield Primary School Rotherham
• Bramley Grange Primary School Rotherham
• Kilnhurst Primary School Mexborough
• Swinton Fitzwilliam Primary School Mexborough
• Wentworth CofE Junior and Infant School Rotherham
• Swinton Queen Primary School Mexborough

What is Canklow Woods Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Canklow Woods Primary School is Good, from an inspection in October 2025.

When was Canklow Woods Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Canklow Woods Primary School was last inspected in October 2025.

How many pupils does Canklow Woods Primary School have?

Canklow Woods Primary School has 245 pupils on roll.

What age range does Canklow Woods Primary School cover?

Canklow Woods Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 43% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Canklow Woods Primary School?

Canklow Woods Primary School is at Wood Lane, Canklow, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, S60 2XJ.