Roughwood Primary School

Roughwood Primary School is a welcoming, inclusive school that performs strongly across all inspected areas, with safeguarding standards met. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and other barriers to learning, achieve very well from their starting points. Teaching in reading, writing and mathematics is consistently high quality, and Year 6 attainment is above national averages. Behaviour is impeccable, pupils feel safe and valued, and the curriculum is carefully designed to build knowledge and prepare pupils for the next stage. Strengths include highly effective early years provision, strong inclusion and support for pupils with SEND, and a well-considered personal development programme that gives every pupil wider opportunities. Leadership and governance are effective, staff feel supported, and parents speak positively. The school serves a relatively deprived community with a high proportion of disadvantaged pupils, and it runs an additionally resourced provision for early years and key stage 1 pupils with neurological differences, as well as provision for two- and three-year-olds. The main area for improvement is attendance. Leaders are relentless in their efforts and have achieved some positive results for individuals and groups, but overall attendance remains below the national average and persistent absence is high. Inspectors’ next step is for leaders and governors to continue working with families and wider services to promote high attendance.

Strengths

• Pupils, including those with SEND, make excellent progress from their individual starting points.
• Reading, writing and mathematics teaching is consistently high quality, with Year 6 attainment above national averages.
• Behaviour is impeccable, with calm, respectful and collaborative pupils.
• The early years environment is warm, well structured and effective in preparing children for Year 1.
• Inclusion is strong, with bespoke support for pupils with SEND and swift help for vulnerable pupils.
• The curriculum is coherently designed, skilfully taught and adapted to meet all pupils’ needs.
• Personal development is comprehensive, including music, extra-curricular activities and community events.
• Leadership and governance have a detailed understanding of the school and provide effective support and challenge.
• Staff feel well supported and valued, and parents speak very positively about the school.
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open and positive culture.
• Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of education and have clear ambitions.

Areas for Improvement

• Attendance remains below the national average despite leaders’ extensive work; some pupils still do not attend regularly enough, and persistent absence is above average.

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 Roughwood Primary School attended 92.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 24.4% 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, 0.4% of pupils at Roughwood 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 Roughwood Primary School had 27.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.5% 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, 20.2% of pupils at Roughwood Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.6% 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 Roughwood Primary School received £7,347 and spent £7,347 for each of its 247 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £251,000 (£1,016 per pupil).

Across all 4 schools of Willow Tree Academy, income was £6,949 and spending £6,920 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

Roughwood Primary School is part of Willow Tree Academy, which runs 4 schools. The nearest others:

• Rockingham Junior and Infant School Rotherham
• Greasbrough Primary School Rotherham
• Herringthorpe Junior School Rotherham

What is Roughwood Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Roughwood Primary School is Strong standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Roughwood Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Roughwood Primary School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Roughwood Primary School have?

Roughwood Primary School has 262 pupils on roll.

What age range does Roughwood Primary School cover?

Roughwood Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

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

In 2025, 81% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Roughwood Primary School?

Roughwood Primary School is at Roughwood Road, Kimberworth Park, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, S61 3HL.