Ecclesfield School

Ecclesfield School is performing well overall, with a solid 'Good' rating across all inspected domains. The school is characterized by a friendly and welcoming atmosphere where pupils feel safe and are keen to learn. The leadership has effectively transformed the school since its previous inadequate judgement, ensuring high expectations for behaviour and a supportive environment for all students, including those with special educational needs. While the curriculum is largely effective, areas such as religious education require further development to ensure comprehensive coverage for all pupils.

Strengths

• High expectations of pupil behaviour leading to a calm learning environment.
• Strong support for students' personal development and well-being.
• Effective planning and delivery of most subjects in the curriculum.
• Strong performing arts programme with active student participation.
• Well-developed careers programme that prepares pupils for the future.
• Staff morale is high and teachers are motivated and inspired.

Areas for Improvement

• Religious education lacks depth and coverage in the curriculum.
• Some areas of the alternative learning pathway lack ambition, affecting reintegration into mainstream lessons.
• Gaps in knowledge retention for subjects like PSHE.

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 Ecclesfield School attended 89.7% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 27.6% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

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, 10.9% of pupils at Ecclesfield School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 4 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 Ecclesfield School had 17.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 4.7% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

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, 18.0% of pupils at Ecclesfield School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.3% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

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 secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Ecclesfield School received £8,163 and spent £8,068 for each of its 1,727 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £494,000 (£286 per pupil).

Across all 10 schools of Minerva Learning Trust, income was £7,480 and spending £7,772 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 Sheffield · Sheffield local authority: places and applications

Ecclesfield School is part of Minerva Learning Trust, which runs 10 schools. The nearest others:

• Chapeltown Academy Sheffield
• Stocksbridge High School Sheffield
• Woodthorpe Primary School Sheffield
• Handsworth Grange Community Sports College Sheffield
• High Storrs School Sheffield
• Barrow Hill Primary Academy Chesterfield
• Whittington Moor Nursery and Infant Academy Chesterfield
• Dunston Primary and Nursery Academy Chesterfield
• Netherthorpe School Chesterfield

What is Ecclesfield School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Ecclesfield School is Good, from an inspection in July 2022.

When was Ecclesfield School last inspected by Ofsted?

Ecclesfield School was last inspected in July 2022.

How many pupils does Ecclesfield School have?

Ecclesfield School has 1,711 pupils on roll.

What age range does Ecclesfield School cover?

Ecclesfield School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Ecclesfield School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 45.3, and 43% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Ecclesfield School?

Ecclesfield School is at Chapeltown Road, Ecclesfield, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S35 9WD.