Thomas Russell Infants School

Thomas Russell Infants School is performing well with a good overall effectiveness rating. The school has established a warm and welcoming environment where pupils feel safe and are eager to learn. Leaders and teachers prioritize the needs of the pupils and have developed an ambitious curriculum that enhances their learning experience. However, some pupils find the academic expectations either too high or not challenging enough, which can lead to disengagement during lessons. The school is committed to continuous improvement, especially in addressing the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Strengths

• Warm relationships help pupils feel cared for.
• Leaders have developed an exciting and ambitious curriculum.
• Pupils achieve very well in early reading due to thorough training.
• The curriculum design helps pupils to revisit previous learning.
• Effective leadership promotes staff well-being and support.

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils with SEND do not have learning activities tailored to their needs.
• Pupils lack a secure understanding of different cultures and British values.

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 Thomas Russell Infants School attended 97.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 2.5% 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 Thomas Russell Infants 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 Thomas Russell Infants School had 20.6 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, 9.0% of pupils at Thomas Russell Infants School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.2% 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 Thomas Russell Infants School received £6,719 and spent £6,648 for each of its 169 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £213,000 (£1,263 per pupil).

Across all 20 schools of John Taylor Mat, income was £7,398 and spending £7,462 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 Burton-On-Trent · Staffordshire local authority: places and applications

Thomas Russell Infants School is part of John Taylor Mat, which runs 21 schools. The nearest others:

• John Taylor High School Burton-On-Trent
• Walton On Trent CofE Primary and Nursery School Swadlincote
• John Taylor Free School Burton-On-Trent
• Rykneld Primary School Burton-On-Trent
• All Saints Church of England Primary and Nursery School Burton-On-Trent
• Branston Locks Primary and Nursery School Burton-On-Trent
• All Saints CofE (C) Primary School Burton-On-Trent
• Yoxall St Peter's CofE Primary School Burton-On-Trent
• Shobnall Primary & Nursery School Burton-On-Trent
• Fradley Park Primary and Nursery School Lichfield

What is Thomas Russell Infants School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Thomas Russell Infants School is Good, from an inspection in September 2023.

When was Thomas Russell Infants School last inspected by Ofsted?

Thomas Russell Infants School was last inspected in September 2023.

How many pupils does Thomas Russell Infants School have?

Thomas Russell Infants School has 167 pupils on roll.

What age range does Thomas Russell Infants School cover?

Thomas Russell Infants School for pupils aged 4 to 7.

Where is Thomas Russell Infants School?

Thomas Russell Infants School is at Station Road, Barton-Under-Needwood, Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, DE13 8DS.