Mary Swanwick Primary School

Mary Swanwick Primary School is performing well, receiving an overall effectiveness rating of 'Good'. The school fosters a positive and happy environment where pupils enjoy learning and feel supported by their teachers. Leaders demonstrate ambition for all students, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and parents express high levels of satisfaction with the educational opportunities provided. The curriculum is well structured, and there is a strong emphasis on pupils' personal development, with many extracurricular options available. Despite these strengths, there are areas that need improvement, particularly in the inconsistency of assessment and feedback practices across different subjects.

Strengths

• Pupils enjoy learning and are proud of their school.
• Leaders are ambitious for all pupils, including those with SEND.
• The curriculum is broad and well-structured.
• Teachers effectively check pupils' learning and understanding.
• There is a consistent approach to teaching reading and phonics.
• Pupils benefit from a range of extracurricular activities.
• Strong focus on positive behavior and personal development.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent implementation of assessment and feedback policies.
• Teachers do not always check pupils' responses to feedback effectively.

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 Mary Swanwick Primary School attended 95.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 10.8% 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, 1.2% of pupils at Mary Swanwick 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 Mary Swanwick Primary School had 25.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 4.3% 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, 29.3% of pupils at Mary Swanwick 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 Mary Swanwick Primary School received £7,740 and spent £7,180 for each of its 234 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £413,000 (£1,763 per pupil).

Across all 20 schools of Learners' Trust, income was £8,896 and spending £8,606 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 Chesterfield · Derbyshire local authority: places and applications

Mary Swanwick Primary School is part of Learners' Trust, which runs 21 schools. The nearest others:

• New Whittington Community Primary School Chesterfield
• Brimington Junior School Chesterfield
• Brimington Manor Infant and Nursery School Chesterfield
• Holme Hall Primary School Chesterfield
• Ashgate Croft School Chesterfield
• Old Hall Junior School Chesterfield
• Westfield Infant School Chesterfield
• Eckington Junior School Sheffield
• Walton Holymoorside Primary School Chesterfield
• Ridgeway Primary School Sheffield

What is Mary Swanwick Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Mary Swanwick Primary School is Good, from an inspection in December 2022.

When was Mary Swanwick Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Mary Swanwick Primary School was last inspected in December 2022.

How many pupils does Mary Swanwick Primary School have?

Mary Swanwick Primary School has 239 pupils on roll.

What age range does Mary Swanwick Primary School cover?

Mary Swanwick Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 72% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Mary Swanwick Primary School?

Mary Swanwick Primary School is at Church Street North, Old Whittington, Chesterfield, Derbyshire, S41 9QW.