Anston Hillcrest Primary School

Anston Hillcrest Primary School is performing well overall. Inspectors found a kind, respectful and safe school where pupils behave well and achieve well, supported by a broad and ambitious curriculum that has improved significantly in recent years. The school is highly inclusive, and provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, including the on-site speech and language unit, is a notable strength. Early years provision, personal development and leadership are also effective, with staff, governors and trust leaders working together well. This was the school’s first inspection under section 5, although its predecessor was previously judged outstanding before the school became an academy. It is now part of the James Montgomery Academy Trust. Safeguarding is effective, and pupils benefit from a wide range of clubs, visits and leadership opportunities. There are a few areas to improve. A small number of pupils do not consistently receive the right reading support at the right time, and in a few subjects the curriculum is less embedded, so pupils do not always connect new learning with what they already know. Pupils’ understanding of different cultures and faiths is also not yet strong enough.

Strengths

• Pupils are kind, respectful, enthusiastic and behave well.
• The school’s values and high expectations create a calm, purposeful and nurturing climate.
• Pupils feel safe and are safe, with effective safeguarding arrangements.
• The curriculum has improved significantly and is broad and ambitious for all pupils.
• Provision for pupils with SEND is a strength, including the on-site speech and language unit.
• Children in the early years are well supported and transition effectively into school.
• Reading has a high profile, with early reading taught from the start and a wide range of books available.
• Personal development helps pupils learn how to stay safe, look after their mental health and behave respectfully.
• Staff are proud to work at the school, and leaders manage workload well.
• Governors and trustees fulfil their roles effectively and hold leaders to account.

Areas for Improvement

• A few pupils do not consistently receive the most appropriate reading support at the right time, which can leave them confused, disengaged or falling behind.
• In a small number of subjects, the curriculum is less embedded and pupils do not reliably connect current learning with prior knowledge.
• Pupils do not have a strong enough understanding of different cultures and faiths.

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 Anston Hillcrest Primary School attended 96.0% 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, 0.4% of pupils at Anston Hillcrest 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 Anston Hillcrest Primary School had 23.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 7.0% 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, 10.5% of pupils at Anston Hillcrest Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 9.3% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has a SEN unit with 18 pupils.

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 Anston Hillcrest Primary School received £6,783 and spent £6,231 for each of its 232 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £4,000 (£18 per pupil).

Across all 20 schools of James Montgomery Academy Trust, income was £6,982 and spending £6,835 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 · Rotherham local authority: places and applications

Anston Hillcrest Primary School is part of James Montgomery Academy Trust, which runs 20 schools. The nearest others:

• Kiveton Park Infant School Sheffield
• Kiveton Park Meadows Junior School Sheffield
• Harthill Primary School Sheffield
• Laughton Junior and Infant School Sheffield
• Thurcroft Infant School Rotherham
• Bramley Sunnyside Junior School Rotherham
• Brinsworth Howarth Primary School Rotherham
• St Ann's Primary School Rotherham
• Ferham Primary School Rotherham
• Meadow View Primary School Rotherham

What is Anston Hillcrest Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Anston Hillcrest Primary School is Good, from an inspection in May 2025.

When was Anston Hillcrest Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Anston Hillcrest Primary School was last inspected in May 2025.

How many pupils does Anston Hillcrest Primary School have?

Anston Hillcrest Primary School has 237 pupils on roll.

What age range does Anston Hillcrest Primary School cover?

Anston Hillcrest Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

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

Where is Anston Hillcrest Primary School?

Anston Hillcrest Primary School is at Hawthorne Avenue, South Anston, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S25 5GR.