Rawmarsh Ashwood Primary School

Rawmarsh Ashwood Primary School is a small primary school in Parkgate, Rotherham, part of Wickersley Partnership Trust. Inspectors found a well-led and highly inclusive school with strong provision for pupils' personal development and wellbeing. Pupils are happy, safe, polite and well behaved, and the school's pastoral care and Ashwood Pledges are notable strengths. The school is particularly effective at supporting disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND or EAL, with tailored support removing barriers and disadvantaged pupils' outcomes improving and sometimes exceeding national disadvantaged averages. Most areas of the school's work are at least at the expected standard. Early years provision is a strength, with skilled staff helping children make impressive progress from low starting points, especially in language and vocabulary. Curriculum and teaching are appropriately sequenced and responsive, and leaders have made swift changes to phonics and reading. However, published outcomes over time have not been high enough: combined reading, writing and mathematics results are below national averages, and recent improvements in phonics and reading are not yet reflected in published data. The main concern is attendance. Although attendance is typically positive and behaviour is commendable, attendance has declined over time and persistent absence is increasing, particularly for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, which limits their academic and social progress. Leaders understand the reasons and are working with families and agencies, but more needs to be done. Inspectors also want leaders to ensure recent phonics and reading improvements strengthen published outcomes so pupils achieve in line with national peers.

Strengths

• Inclusion is a strong standard, with swift adaptation to changing needs including EAL, SEND and vulnerable pupils.
• Disadvantaged pupils receive effective support; gaps are closing and they outperform national disadvantaged peers in some measures.
• Personal development and wellbeing are strong, with a personalised programme covering citizenship, life skills and cultural knowledge.
• Pupils have detailed knowledge of safety, healthy relationships, mental and physical health, and British values.
• Pastoral care is high quality, nurturing and appreciated by parents and carers.
• Pupils' behaviour is highly positive; they are polite, calm and excellent ambassadors for the school.
• Pupils feel safe; bullying and discriminatory behaviour are rare and addressed quickly.
• Curriculum is appropriately sequenced across subjects and teaching helps pupils learn and remember more.
• Staff make effective adaptations for SEND, disadvantaged and EAL pupils so they access the curriculum.
• Early years provision is highly skilled; children make impressive progress from low starting points, especially in language and vocabulary.
• Leadership is astute, supportive and prioritises staff development and wellbeing.
• Governance and trust oversight are strong, with appropriate support and challenge.
• Leaders engage well with parents and the wider community.

Areas for Improvement

• Attendance has declined over time and persistent absence is increasing.
• Some pupils, especially those with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, miss important learning due to absence.
• Published outcomes over time have not been high enough; combined reading, writing and mathematics are below national averages.
• Reading outcomes for all pupils have been below national averages in recent years.
• Recent improvements in phonics and reading are not yet reflected in published outcomes.
• Writing outcomes remain below national averages over the latest three-year average, although 2024/25 was closer.
• Leaders need to ensure attendance work reduces persistent absence.

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 Rawmarsh Ashwood Primary School attended 94.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 14.4% 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 Rawmarsh Ashwood 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 Rawmarsh Ashwood Primary School had 19.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.5% 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, 19.9% of pupils at Rawmarsh Ashwood Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.4% 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 Rawmarsh Ashwood Primary School received £7,858 and spent £8,336 for each of its 171 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £88,000 (£513 per pupil).

Across all 13 schools of Wickersley Partnership Trust, income was £8,491 and spending £8,459 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

Rawmarsh Ashwood Primary School is part of Wickersley Partnership Trust, which runs 13 schools. The nearest others:

• Rawmarsh Community School Rotherham
• Monkwood Primary School Rotherham
• Rawmarsh Sandhill Primary School Rotherham
• Clifton Community School Rotherham
• Foljambe Primary School Rotherham
• Thrybergh Primary School Rotherham
• Thrybergh Academy Rotherham
• Wickersley School and Sports College Rotherham
• Brinsworth Whitehill Primary School Rotherham
• Aston Lodge Primary School Sheffield

What is Rawmarsh Ashwood Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Rawmarsh Ashwood Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Rawmarsh Ashwood Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Rawmarsh Ashwood Primary School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Rawmarsh Ashwood Primary School have?

Rawmarsh Ashwood Primary School has 166 pupils on roll.

What age range does Rawmarsh Ashwood Primary School cover?

Rawmarsh Ashwood Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 52% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Rawmarsh Ashwood Primary School?

Rawmarsh Ashwood Primary School is at Ashwood Road, Parkgate, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, S62 6HT.