Bishop Rawle CofE Primary School

Bishop Rawle CofE Primary School is a small, welcoming Church of England primary school within The Moorlands Primary Federation. In its April 2026 full inspection, safeguarding standards were met and the school was found to be performing securely overall. Early years and personal development are particular strengths: children get a flying start, reading and phonics are prioritised, and pupils develop confidence, empathy and responsibility through a rich programme. Behaviour is calm, attendance is improving and broadly in line with national averages, and inclusion is central, with timely support for disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Leadership and governance are effective, with strong trust oversight and positive views from staff and parents. Achievement, curriculum and teaching, attendance and behaviour, inclusion, and leadership and governance are all meeting expected standards. Pupils generally achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics, but too few reach the higher standard in mathematics because learning is not consistently deepened once key concepts are secure. In some subjects, activities are not closely matched to intended curriculum outcomes, so some pupils have too few opportunities to practise, revisit or apply their knowledge to complex tasks. Handwriting is also inconsistent across classes and subjects, and presentation expectations vary. The school's next steps are clear: ensure the handwriting approach is applied consistently, and support teachers to choose appropriately demanding activities for all pupils, including those ready for greater depth. Leaders know their school well, are focused on pupils' best interests, and have secure capacity to address these priorities. Overall, the school has strong foundations and a few specific areas to sharpen further.

Strengths

• Early years provision gives children a flying start, with a well-sequenced curriculum and strong focus on communication, language and early reading.
• Phonics is taught consistently, and children practise regularly to segment, blend and apply sounds in early writing.
• High-quality adult-child interactions in early years extend thinking and build confident communicators.
• Personal development is ambitious, inclusive and responsive to pupils' needs and local context.
• Pupils take meaningful pride in supporting the local community and show empathy, including through work with dementia and Alzheimer's organisations.
• Fundamental British values are embedded, and pupils learn to stay safe, healthy and respectful of difference.
• Behaviour is calm and purposeful, with clear expectations applied consistently and rare bullying.
• Attendance is broadly in line with national averages and improving, with effective support for persistently absent pupils.
• Inclusion is central; barriers are identified early and support is adapted well for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.
• Disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND make sustained progress and benefit fully from the personal development offer.
• Leadership and governance are effective, with accurate self-evaluation, strong trust oversight and a clear focus on pupils' best interests.
• Staff feel supported, professional development is well planned, and parents are very positive about the school.
• Pupils feel safe, valued and well prepared for the next stage of education.

Areas for Improvement

• Too few pupils reach the higher standard in mathematics because teachers do not consistently deepen learning once key concepts are secure.
• Teachers do not consistently plan learning activities that are closely matched to intended curriculum outcomes.
• Some pupils have insufficient opportunities to practise, revisit or apply skills and knowledge to complex tasks.
• Handwriting is not consistently well developed across subjects and classes.
• Expectations for presentation vary, and teachers do not always address handwriting errors promptly.

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 Bishop Rawle CofE Primary School attended 95.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 7.4% 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 Bishop Rawle CofE 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 Bishop Rawle CofE Primary School had 15.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 28.6% 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, 13.9% of pupils at Bishop Rawle CofE Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.4% 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 Bishop Rawle CofE Primary School received £7,103 and spent £5,978 for each of its 150 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £465,000 (£3,100 per pupil).

Across all 12 schools of The Moorlands Primary Federation, income was £8,246 and spending £7,899 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 Stoke-On-Trent · Staffordshire local authority: places and applications

Bishop Rawle CofE Primary School is part of The Moorlands Primary Federation, which runs 14 schools. The nearest others:

• Dilhorne Endowed CofE Primary School Stoke-On-Trent
• Great Wood Community Primary School Stoke-On-Trent
• St Werburgh's CE (A) Primary School Stoke-On-Trent
• The Valley Primary School Stoke-On-Trent
• St Leonard's Church of England First School Stoke-On-Trent
• St John's CofE Primary School Wetley Rocks, Stoke-On-Trent
• Waterhouses CofE Primary Academy Stoke-On-Trent
• Talbot First School Uttoxeter
• Ilam Church of England Primary School Ashbourne
• St. Peter's Church of England First School Uttoxeter

What is Bishop Rawle CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Bishop Rawle CofE Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Bishop Rawle CofE Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Bishop Rawle CofE Primary School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Bishop Rawle CofE Primary School have?

Bishop Rawle CofE Primary School has 144 pupils on roll.

What age range does Bishop Rawle CofE Primary School cover?

Bishop Rawle CofE Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Bishop Rawle CofE Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 60% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Bishop Rawle CofE Primary School?

Bishop Rawle CofE Primary School is at Royal Walk, Cheadle, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST10 1QA.