Knypersley First School

Knypersley First School is a highly effective school where pupils, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, achieve exceptionally well from their starting points. Inspectors found an ambitious and carefully constructed curriculum running from the early years through to Year 4, with strong phonics and reading provision, expert teaching, and effective checking of pupils' understanding. Children in the early years get off to an excellent start, and pupils with SEND are identified early and supported well, including through skilled use of technology. Pupils behave exceptionally well and are enthusiastic, confident learners. The school's personal development offer is strong, with educational visits, leadership roles, and a clear focus on British values and equality. Staff, leaders, the trust and the local advisory board are highly positive and evaluate the school's performance incisively. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. The school is part of the Children First Learning Partnership and has seen an increase in pupils with SEND and those eligible for free school meals since the previous inspection. It has responded particularly well to these changes. This was a graded inspection under the current framework, so no overall effectiveness grade was given, but all key judgements were outstanding and no areas for improvement were identified.

Strengths

• An ambitious and meticulously crafted curriculum from the early years upwards
• Exceptionally strong provision for pupils with SEND, including early identification and effective use of technology
• Excellent early years provision focused on communication, language, literacy and mathematics
• Very effective phonics teaching and a strong reading culture
• Exemplary pupil behaviour and well-embedded routines
• A rich personal development programme with visits, visitors and leadership opportunities
• Incisive evaluation and strong support from leaders, the trust and the local advisory board
• Effective safeguarding arrangements

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 Knypersley First School attended 95.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.4% 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, 1.8% of pupils at Knypersley First 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 Knypersley First School had 22.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 20.5% 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, 8.3% of pupils at Knypersley First School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.2% 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 Knypersley First School received £7,506 and spent £7,598 for each of its 272 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £188,000 (£691 per pupil).

Across all 7 schools of Children First Learning Partnership, income was £7,227 and spending £7,251 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 Stoke-On-Trent · Stoke-on-Trent local authority: places and applications

Knypersley First School is part of Children First Learning Partnership, which runs 7 schools. The nearest others:

• Kingsfield First School Stoke-On-Trent
• Oxhey First School Stoke-On-Trent
• The Reginald Mitchell Primary School Stoke-On-Trent
• Marlfields Primary School Congleton
• Springhead Primary School Stoke-On-Trent
• Castlechurch Primary School Stafford

What is Knypersley First School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Knypersley First School is Outstanding, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was Knypersley First School last inspected by Ofsted?

Knypersley First School was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does Knypersley First School have?

Knypersley First School has 312 pupils on roll.

What age range does Knypersley First School cover?

Knypersley First School for pupils aged 3 to 9.

Where is Knypersley First School?

Knypersley First School is at Newpool Road, Knypersley, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST8 6NN.