Thomas Russell Junior School
Gilmour Lane, Barton-Under-Needwood, Burton-on-Trent, DE13 8EU
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 7 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mr James Emery
- Constituency
- Lichfield
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 252
- Pupils on roll
- 252
- URN
- 124150
- Local authority
- Staffordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01283247505
About this school
Thomas Russell Junior School is a community primary school in Burton-on-Trent. It teaches children aged 7 to 11 and has 252 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Thomas Russell Junior School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 27 November 2024, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 64 | 65 | 64 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 69% | 77% | 78% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 6% | 8% | 3% |
| Expected standard in reading | 92% | 86% | 94% |
| Expected standard in maths | 88% | 88% | 84% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 88% | 86% | 86% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 110.0 | 109.0 | 110.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 108.0 | 107.0 | 107.0 |
| Reading progress | +3.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -1.70 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +2.10 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Thomas Russell Junior School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Staffordshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 69% | 59.8% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 77% | 61.7% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 78% | 62% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 3.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 3.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 253 |
| 2023/24 | 255 |
| 2024/25 | 250 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Thomas Russell Junior School compares
Thomas Russell Junior School ranked 50th of 229 primary schools in Staffordshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 84% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 98% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 78% | 3% | 5.6% | 252 | — |
| Thomas Russell Infants School | — | 3% | 4.7% | 167 | 0.2 miles |
| Walton On Trent CofE Primary and Nursery School | 42% | 4.5% | 13.2% | 137 | 1.6 miles |
| All Saints Church of England Primary and Nursery School | 75% | 4.8% | 14% | 210 | 2.4 miles |
| Rykneld Primary School | 81% | 4.2% | 17.7% | 618 | 2.7 miles |
| Branston Locks Primary and Nursery School | — | — | 4.6% | 86 | 2.8 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 5.6%
- English as an additional language
- 4%
- Overall absence
- 3.01%
- Persistent absence
- 3.15%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Thomas Russell Infants School0.2 miles
Primary · Burton-on-Trent
-
Walton On Trent CofE Primary and Nursery School1.6 miles
Primary · Swadlincote
-
All Saints Church of England Primary and Nursery School2.4 miles
Primary · Burton-on-Trent
-
Rykneld Primary School2.7 miles
Primary · Burton-on-Trent
-
Branston Locks Primary and Nursery School2.8 miles
Primary · Burton-on-Trent
Other schools in Burton-on-Trent
Thomas Russell Junior School ranks 6th of the 22 ranked primary schools in Burton-on-Trent.
- All Saints Church of England Primary and Nursery School Primary
- All Saints CofE (C) Primary School Primary
- Branston Locks Primary and Nursery School Primary
- Burton Fields School Primary
- Christ Church Primary School Primary
- Edge Hill Academy Primary
- Eton Park Junior Academy Primary
- Grange School Primary
- Henhurst Ridge Primary Academy Primary
- Holy Rosary Catholic Voluntary Academy Primary
- Horninglow Primary School Primary
- John of Rolleston Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Thomas Russell Junior School teach?
- Thomas Russell Junior School teaches children aged 7 to 11. It is a primary school in Burton-on-Trent.
- Who is the headteacher of Thomas Russell Junior School?
- The headteacher of Thomas Russell Junior School is Mr James Emery, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Thomas Russell Junior School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Thomas Russell Junior School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Thomas Russell Junior School?
- Thomas Russell Junior School has 252 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 7 to 11.
- Is Thomas Russell Junior School full?
- Thomas Russell Junior School has capacity for 252 pupils and 252 on roll (100%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Thomas Russell Junior School a faith school?
- No. Thomas Russell Junior School has no designated religious character.
- Does Thomas Russell Junior School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Thomas Russell Junior School as having no nursery classes.
- How have Thomas Russell Junior School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 69% in 2022/23 and 78% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Thomas Russell Junior School compare with other schools in Staffordshire?
- Thomas Russell Junior School ranked 50th of 229 primary schools in Staffordshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 84% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 98% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Thomas Russell Junior School's absence rate?
- Thomas Russell Junior School's overall absence rate is 3% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Thomas Russell Junior School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Thomas Russell Junior School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 30 June 2026.