The John Bamford Primary School
Crabtree Way, Etching Hill, Rugeley, WS15 2PA
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mrs Louise Ferguson
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Cannock Chase
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 343
- Pupils on roll
- 268
- URN
- 124171
- Local authority
- Staffordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01889228689
About this school
The John Bamford Primary School is a community primary school in Rugeley. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 268 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected The John Bamford Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 12 June 2024, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. 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 | 48 | 42 | 51 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 60% | 81% | 80% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 8% | 12% | 16% |
| Expected standard in reading | 75% | 86% | 84% |
| Expected standard in maths | 79% | 88% | 82% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 73% | 90% | 86% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 107.0 | 107.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 106.0 | 106.0 | 108.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.90 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.50 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +0.20 | - | - |
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 The John Bamford Primary 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 | 60% | 59.8% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 81% | 61.7% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 80% | 62% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 303 |
| 2023/24 | 295 |
| 2024/25 | 293 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How The John Bamford Primary School compares
The John Bamford Primary School ranked 35th of 229 primary schools in Staffordshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 87% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 66% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 80% | 4.7% | 22.5% | 268 | — |
| Etching Hill CofE Primary Academy | 79% | 3.7% | 9.4% | 460 | 0.1 miles |
| Forest Hills Primary School | 44% | 5.4% | 71.8% | 79 | 0.4 miles |
| Chancel Primary School | 72% | 4.3% | 19.7% | 210 | 0.8 miles |
| Churchfield CofE Primary Academy | 63% | 5.9% | 39.8% | 155 | 0.9 miles |
| St Joseph's Catholic Primary School | — | — | — | 217 | 1.2 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)
- 22.53%
- English as an additional language
- 2%
- Overall absence
- 4.72%
- Persistent absence
- 13.03%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Etching Hill CofE Primary Academy0.1 miles
Primary · Rugeley
-
Forest Hills Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Rugeley
-
Chancel Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Rugeley
-
Churchfield CofE Primary Academy0.9 miles
Primary · Rugeley
-
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School1.2 miles
Primary · Rugeley
Other schools in Rugeley
The John Bamford Primary School ranks 2nd of the 14 ranked primary schools in Rugeley.
- Chancel Primary School Primary
- Chase View Community Primary School Primary
- Churchfield CofE Primary Academy Primary
- Etching Hill CofE Primary Academy Primary
- Forest Hills Primary School Primary
- Gentleshaw Primary Academy Primary
- Hayes Meadow Primary School Primary
- Henry Chadwick Primary School Primary
- Hob Hill CE/Methodist (VC) Primary School Primary
- Redbrook Hayes Community Primary School Primary
- St James Church of England Primary Academy Primary
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does The John Bamford Primary School teach?
- The John Bamford Primary School teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Rugeley.
- Who is the headteacher of The John Bamford Primary School?
- The headteacher of The John Bamford Primary School is Mrs Louise Ferguson, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has The John Bamford Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The John Bamford Primary 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 The John Bamford Primary School?
- The John Bamford Primary School has 268 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is The John Bamford Primary School full?
- The John Bamford Primary School has capacity for 343 pupils and 268 on roll (78%), so it has space against 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 The John Bamford Primary School a faith school?
- No. The John Bamford Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does The John Bamford Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records The John Bamford Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have The John Bamford Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 60% in 2022/23 and 80% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does The John Bamford Primary School compare with other schools in Staffordshire?
- The John Bamford Primary School ranked 35th of 229 primary schools in Staffordshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 87% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 66% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is The John Bamford Primary School's absence rate?
- The John Bamford Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.7% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are The John Bamford Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, The John Bamford Primary 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.