Rykneld Primary School

Rykneld Primary School is a large, happy and highly inclusive school where pupils feel safe and behave exceptionally well. This full section 5 inspection found safeguarding standards are met, with strong standards in attendance and behaviour, early years, inclusion, and personal development and wellbeing. Pupils benefit from positive relationships, very high expectations, effective pastoral care, and a wide range of enrichment and leadership opportunities. Attendance is above national averages, and children in the early years get a flying start, particularly in phonics, spoken language and number. The school is part of the John Taylor Multi-Academy Trust and leaders, trustees and governors have a clear vision and an accurate view of strengths and priorities. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, including those in the tailored Beehive and Fireflies provision, are well supported and make swift progress from their starting points. Disadvantaged pupils also benefit from highly effective use of additional funding. Attainment in national tests is consistently above national averages, especially in reading, writing and mathematics. The main area for improvement is consistency beyond the core subjects. Achievement, curriculum and teaching, and leadership and governance are at expected standard: in some subjects, some pupils do not produce consistently high-quality work and teaching is not consistently highly effective, so they do not achieve as well as they could. Leaders recognise this and the next step is to ensure teaching is highly effective across the full curriculum so that pupils achieve equally high standards in all subjects.

Strengths

• Pupils behave impressively, are remarkably well mannered and build positive relationships with staff and peers.
• Attendance rates are above national averages, with very few pupils persistently absent and barriers removed swiftly.
• Early years provision gives children a flying start, with firm foundations in phonics, spoken language and number.
• The school has a highly inclusive ethos and identifies and supports pupils' emerging needs effectively.
• Pupils with SEND make swift progress from their starting points, including through tailored Beehive and Fireflies provision.
• Leaders make highly effective use of additional funding to improve outcomes for disadvantaged pupils.
• Personal development is strong, with pupils well informed about safety, risks, healthy relationships and British values.
• Pastoral care and mental health support are highly effective and easily accessed by pupils.
• Pupils have plentiful leadership roles and a wide range of inclusive extra-curricular opportunities.
• Teaching of reading, writing and mathematics is highly effective, and attainment is consistently above national averages.
• Leaders, trustees and governors have a clear vision, accurate self-evaluation and provide effective support and challenge.
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture in which concerns are actively identified and managed.

Areas for Improvement

• In some subjects, some pupils do not produce consistently high-quality work and do not achieve as well as they could.
• The quality of pupils' learning in subjects beyond reading, writing and mathematics varies.
• Teaching is not consistently highly effective in some subjects.
• Further work is needed to ensure pupils achieve as well as possible across the full curriculum.
• Leaders should ensure teaching is highly effective across the curriculum so that pupils achieve equally high standards in all subjects.

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 Rykneld Primary School attended 95.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 6.7% 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, 0.2% of pupils at Rykneld 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 Rykneld Primary School had 23.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 8.1% 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, 9.7% of pupils at Rykneld Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.8% 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 Rykneld Primary School received £6,083 and spent £6,165 for each of its 621 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £190,000 (£306 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.

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All schools in Burton-On-Trent · Staffordshire local authority: places and applications

Rykneld Primary School is part of John Taylor Mat, which runs 21 schools. The nearest others:

• Branston Locks Primary and Nursery School Burton-On-Trent
• John Taylor Free School Burton-On-Trent
• Shobnall Primary & Nursery School Burton-On-Trent
• Walton On Trent CofE Primary and Nursery School Swadlincote
• Paulet High School Burton-On-Trent
• Thomas Russell Infants School Burton-On-Trent
• The Mosley Academy Burton-On-Trent
• John Taylor High School Burton-On-Trent
• All Saints CofE (C) Primary School Burton-On-Trent
• Winshill Village Primary and Nursery School Burton-On-Trent

What is Rykneld Primary School's Ofsted rating?

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

When was Rykneld Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Rykneld Primary School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Rykneld Primary School have?

Rykneld Primary School has 618 pupils on roll.

What age range does Rykneld Primary School cover?

Rykneld Primary School for pupils aged 5 to 11.

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

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

Where is Rykneld Primary School?

Rykneld Primary School is at Main Street, Branston, Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, DE14 3EX.