Rykneld Primary School
Main Street, Branston, Burton-on-Trent, DE14 3EX
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 5 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- JOHN TAYLOR MAT
- Headteacher
- Mr Rob Cruise
- Sponsor
- John Taylor MAT
- Constituency
- Burton and Uttoxeter
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 630
- Pupils on roll
- 618
- URN
- 145218
- Local authority
- Staffordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01283247475
About this school
Rykneld Primary School is a primary academy in Burton-on-Trent. It teaches children aged 5 to 11 and has 618 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Rykneld 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. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 16 March 2022, 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 | 90 | 90 | 91 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 81% | 79% | 81% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 4% | 3% | 9% |
| Expected standard in reading | 88% | 91% | 92% |
| Expected standard in maths | 93% | 90% | 92% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 92% | 87% | 95% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 108.0 | 109.0 | 110.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 110.0 | 111.0 | 110.0 |
| Reading progress | +2.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -1.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +5.10 | - | - |
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 Rykneld 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 | 81% | 59.8% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 79% | 61.7% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 81% | 62% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 625 |
| 2023/24 | 631 |
| 2024/25 | 621 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Rykneld Primary School compares
Rykneld Primary School ranked 33rd of 229 primary schools in Staffordshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 89% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 81% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 81% | 4.2% | 17.7% | 618 | — |
| Branston Locks Primary and Nursery School | — | — | 4.6% | 86 | 0.5 miles |
| Lift Anglesey | 87% | 4.8% | 23.8% | 621 | 1.3 miles |
| Shobnall Primary & Nursery School | 97% | 4.2% | 19.9% | 243 | 1.5 miles |
| Christ Church Primary School | — | — | — | 353 | 1.6 miles |
| River View Primary and Nursery School | — | — | — | 417 | 1.6 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)
- 17.71%
- English as an additional language
- 20%
- Overall absence
- 4.18%
- Persistent absence
- 6.69%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Branston Locks Primary and Nursery School0.5 miles
Primary · Burton-on-Trent
-
Lift Anglesey1.3 miles
Primary · Burton-on-Trent
-
Shobnall Primary & Nursery School1.5 miles
Primary · Burton-on-Trent
-
Christ Church Primary School1.6 miles
Primary · Burton-on-Trent
-
River View Primary and Nursery School1.6 miles
Primary · Burton-on-Trent
Other schools in Burton-on-Trent
Rykneld Primary School ranks 4th 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 Rykneld Primary School teach?
- Rykneld Primary School teaches children aged 5 to 11. It is a primary school in Burton-on-Trent.
- Who is the headteacher of Rykneld Primary School?
- The headteacher of Rykneld Primary School is Mr Rob Cruise, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Rykneld Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Rykneld 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 Rykneld Primary School?
- Rykneld Primary School has 618 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 5 to 11.
- Is Rykneld Primary School full?
- Rykneld Primary School has capacity for 630 pupils and 618 on roll (98%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Rykneld Primary School a faith school?
- No. Rykneld Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Rykneld Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Rykneld Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- Is Rykneld Primary School part of an academy trust?
- Rykneld Primary School is part of JOHN TAYLOR MAT. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Rykneld Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 81% in 2022/23 and 81% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Rykneld Primary School compare with other schools in Staffordshire?
- Rykneld Primary School ranked 33rd of 229 primary schools in Staffordshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 89% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 81% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Rykneld Primary School's absence rate?
- Rykneld Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.2% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Rykneld Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Rykneld 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 10 July 2026.