Churchfields Primary School

Churchfields Primary School is a happy, inclusive school with high ambition for all pupils, particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils behave well, relationships are respectful, and the school has created a calm and orderly atmosphere. The curriculum is coherent and ambitious, reading and phonics are taught well, and pupils with SEND are identified early and supported effectively. Personal development is strong, with pupils taking on responsibilities and developing inclusive attitudes. The inspection found the school good across the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. It was previously judged outstanding, but this was its first routine inspection since 2015 and since the pandemic. The school is part of the Collective Vision Trust, and under current arrangements it did not receive an overall effectiveness grade. The main areas for improvement are in the early years, where some areas of learning are less well considered and sequenced, meaning some children are not as well prepared for key stage 1 as they could be. In some subjects, subject leaders have limited opportunities to monitor delivery and pupils’ learning, so improvements are not identified and made as early as they could be. Safeguarding is effective.

Strengths

• Happy and inclusive school with high ambition for every pupil
• Strong support for pupils with SEND, including those with complex needs
• Coherent and ambitious curriculum with clearly identified knowledge
• Teachers focus skilfully on crucial knowledge and revisit prior learning
• Subject leaders are experts in their areas
• Phonics is delivered well, with targeted support for pupils who struggle
• Reading has a high profile and pupils become fluent readers
• Early years children settle quickly and build warm relationships with staff
• Behaviour is good and poor behaviour and bullying are rare
• Pupils benefit from roles and responsibilities that build confidence
• Personal development is well catered for, including inclusive attitudes and well-being support
• Attendance concerns are addressed effectively
• Staff feel well supported in their workload
• Trust and local governing committee are effective
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• Some early years areas of learning are less well considered and sequenced
• Some children in early years are not as well prepared for key stage 1 as they could be
• Monitoring and evaluation in some subjects is not as effective as it could be
• Improvements in some subjects are not identified and made as early as they could be

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 Churchfields Primary School attended 94.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 12.9% 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, 2.6% of pupils at Churchfields Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). One pupil was 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 Churchfields Primary School had 22.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 5.7% 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, 14.8% of pupils at Churchfields 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 2024–25 Churchfields Primary School received £6,623 and spent £6,609 for each of its 384 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £383,000 (£999 per pupil).

Across all 8 schools of Collective Vision Trust, income was £7,093 and spending £7,352 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 Newcastle · Staffordshire local authority: places and applications

Churchfields Primary School is part of Collective Vision Trust, which runs 8 schools. The nearest others:

• Chesterton Primary School Newcastle-Under-Lyme
• Chesterton Community Sports College Newcastle
• Bursley Academy Newcastle
• Crackley Bank Primary School Newcastle
• Woore Primary and Nursery School Crewe
• Cheswardine Primary and Nursery School Market Drayton
• Hinstock Primary School Market Drayton

What is Churchfields Primary School's Ofsted rating?

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

When was Churchfields Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Churchfields Primary School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Churchfields Primary School have?

Churchfields Primary School has 391 pupils on roll.

What age range does Churchfields Primary School cover?

Churchfields Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 44% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Churchfields Primary School?

Churchfields Primary School is at School Street, Chesterton, Newcastle, Staffordshire, ST5 7HY.