Kilnhurst St Thomas' CofE Primary Academy

Kilnhurst St Thomas' CofE Primary Academy is a Church of England primary school in the Diocese of Sheffield Academies Trust, inspected in September 2026. Inspectors found the school meeting expected standards across all evaluated areas, with safeguarding met. Pupils feel safe, behave well and attend regularly, and leaders have built an ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum with effective support for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils. The bespoke 'hive' provision, strong governance and positive staff culture were notable strengths. Pupils generally achieve in line with national peers by the end of key stage 2, but reading is a clear weaker area: outcomes remain below national averages and recent improvements are not yet reflected in published results. Disadvantaged pupils' mathematics also showed a below-average result in 2024/25. Leaders have already adapted the curriculum to prioritise English and mathematics, and the quality of pupils' work and retention of knowledge are improving. Other development points are ensuring oracy strategies are consistently applied across year groups and subjects, and helping early years staff use high-quality interactions to deepen children's thinking. Overall, the school is stable and well led, with a clear improvement trajectory and no serious weaknesses identified.

Strengths

• Ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum with a sharp focus on English and mathematics
• Pupils behave well, classrooms are calm and purposeful, and bullying is rare
• Effective attendance strategies keep attendance in line with national averages
• Strong identification and support for pupils with SEND, including a bespoke 'hive' curriculum
• Effective use of pupil premium funding, including practical support such as breakfast provision
• Leaders and governors have an accurate view of the school and fulfil statutory duties well
• Staff feel valued, workload is managed well, and professional learning is well thought out
• Well-planned personal development programme with a range of extra-curricular activities and trips
• Early years curriculum is well planned and children settle quickly, developing social and communication skills
• Pupils feel safe and have trusting, caring relationships with staff
• Pupil leadership roles, including wellbeing ambassadors and reading squad, build confidence and teamwork
• Assessment and tracking are used well to identify gaps and provide timely support

Areas for Improvement

• Reading outcomes at the end of key stage 2 remain below national averages
• Recent improvements in reading are not yet reflected in published outcomes
• Oracy teaching strategies are not consistently embedded across all year groups and subjects
• Early years staff do not always use high-quality interactions to extend children's thinking
• Disadvantaged pupils' mathematics attainment was below national average in 2024/25

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 Kilnhurst St Thomas' CofE Primary Academy attended 95.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 10.1% 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, 0.5% of pupils at Kilnhurst St Thomas' CofE Primary Academy 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 Kilnhurst St Thomas' CofE Primary Academy had 23.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 23.9% of pupils at Kilnhurst St Thomas' CofE Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.7% 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 Kilnhurst St Thomas' CofE Primary Academy received £6,761 and spent £6,464 for each of its 218 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £81,000 (£374 per pupil).

Across all 19 schools of The Diocese of Sheffield Academies Trust, income was £6,532 and spending £6,534 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 Mexborough · Rotherham local authority: places and applications

Kilnhurst St Thomas' CofE Primary Academy is part of The Diocese of Sheffield Academies Trust, which runs 20 schools. The nearest others:

• Thrybergh Fullerton Church of England Primary Academy Rotherham
• Trinity Croft CofE Primary Academy Rotherham
• Flanderwell Primary School Rotherham
• St Alban's CofE (Aided) Primary School Rotherham
• The Ellis Church of England Primary School Barnsley
• Elsecar Holy Trinity CofE Primary Academy Barnsley
• All Saints Academy Darfield Barnsley
• Treeton Church of England Primary School Rotherham
• Laughton All Saints' CofE Primary School Sheffield
• Swallownest Primary School Sheffield

What is Kilnhurst St Thomas' CofE Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Kilnhurst St Thomas' CofE Primary Academy is Expected standard, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was Kilnhurst St Thomas' CofE Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Kilnhurst St Thomas' CofE Primary Academy was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does Kilnhurst St Thomas' CofE Primary Academy have?

Kilnhurst St Thomas' CofE Primary Academy has 218 pupils on roll.

What age range does Kilnhurst St Thomas' CofE Primary Academy cover?

Kilnhurst St Thomas' CofE Primary Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Kilnhurst St Thomas' CofE Primary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 53% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Kilnhurst St Thomas' CofE Primary Academy?

Kilnhurst St Thomas' CofE Primary Academy is at Meadow View Road, Kilnhurst, Mexborough, South Yorkshire, S64 5UA.