Poplar Farm School

Poplar Farm School has received a 'Good' rating in its inaugural Ofsted inspection. The school is noted for its welcoming and inclusive environment, where pupils demonstrate curiosity and resilience in their learning. Pupils feel safe and valued, and the school is praised for its high expectations of behavior and academic achievement. There is strong leadership and management support that fosters a positive atmosphere, and a commitment to personal development and well-being is evident through various initiatives, including play therapy and mental health priorities. However, the inspection report indicates areas for improvement, particularly in a few subjects where the curriculum lacks precise breakdowns of knowledge, which can hinder pupils' retention of what they have learned. Additionally, the assessment practices in the wider curriculum are still under development, which may affect leaders' understanding of pupils' knowledge acquisition over time. Overall, the school has a solid foundation but needs to refine its curriculum and assessment processes.

Strengths

• Welcoming and inclusive environment
• Positive role models among staff
• High expectations for behavior and learning
• Strong support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities
• Effective leadership and management
• Well-sequenced phonics curriculum
• Pupils enjoy a broad and ambitious curriculum
• Emphasis on pupils' mental health and well-being

Areas for Improvement

• In some subjects, content is not detailed enough for effective knowledge retention
• Wider curriculum assessments are not fully developed

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 Poplar Farm School attended 96.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 5.9% 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, 1.9% of pupils at Poplar Farm 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 Poplar Farm School had 23.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 15.9% 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, 8.7% of pupils at Poplar Farm School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.1% 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 Poplar Farm School received £6,923 and spent £7,337 for each of its 414 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £312,000 (£754 per pupil).

Across all 18 schools of Community Inclusive Trust, income was £11,652 and spending £11,935 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 Grantham · Lincolnshire local authority: places and applications

Poplar Farm School is part of Community Inclusive Trust, which runs 19 schools. The nearest others:

• The Isaac Newton Primary School Grantham
• Newton Bridge Academy Grantham
• Greenfields Academy Grantham
• Caythorpe Primary School Grantham
• Osbournby Primary School Sleaford
• Newark Orchard School Newark
• Kesteven and Sleaford High School Selective Academy Sleaford
• Carre's Grammar School Sleaford
• Bingham Primary School Bingham
• Billingborough Primary School Sleaford

What is Poplar Farm School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Poplar Farm School is Good, from an inspection in March 2023.

When was Poplar Farm School last inspected by Ofsted?

Poplar Farm School was last inspected in March 2023.

How many pupils does Poplar Farm School have?

Poplar Farm School has 414 pupils on roll.

What age range does Poplar Farm School cover?

Poplar Farm School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Poplar Farm School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 63% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Poplar Farm School?

Poplar Farm School is at Helmsley Road, Grantham, NG31 8XF.