Chancel Primary School, Rugeley
Chancel Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Rugeley. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in July 2011. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in March 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 4th-highest of the 14 schools in Rugeley with published results, and 3,694th of 14,452 across England. It was full in 2025, at 101% of capacity.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2011)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Staffordshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Chancel Primary School in detail
Chancel Primary School in its own words
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include choir, art and homework club.
The school runs after-school care.
Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 88% of Year 6 pupils at Chancel Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 81% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 79% and 77% in Staffordshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 91% in reading and 91% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Chancel Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 27 families put Chancel Primary School as their first choice and 65 named it as one of their preferences, for 27 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Chancel Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Chancel Primary School are Forest Hills Primary School (0.5 miles, Requires improvement, 89% reading, 56% maths); Churchfield CofE Primary Academy (0.5 miles, Good, 69% reading, 63% maths); The John Bamford Primary School (0.8 miles, Good, 84% reading, 82% maths); and Etching Hill CofE Primary Academy (0.8 miles, Good, 87% reading, 89% maths).
Chancel Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.
Forest Hills Primary SchoolChurchfield CofE Primary AcademyThe John Bamford Primary SchoolEtching Hill CofE Primary Academy
What parents say
29 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Chancel Primary School (as of September 2025): 97% would recommend the school, 97% say their child is happy there and 75% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they would recommend the school (97%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (75%).
Who goes there
3.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Rugeley Trent Valley Rail Station, about 720 metres away (roughly a 9-minute walk).
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Church Street (opposite), 40 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 145 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Staffordshire (86), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Chancel Primary School issued 2 suspensions, 0.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Chancel Primary School are The Hart School (0.7 miles) and Rugeley John Taylor (1.2 miles).
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Staffordshire published that the last place for 2025 entry went to a family 0.606 miles away (straight line). The cut-off moves every year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from July 2011, 15 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's March 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This school creates a happy, nurturing environment where children genuinely thrive and love coming to school. Teachers use effective teaching methods to help pupils develop strong reading skills and gain knowledge across a broad curriculum. The early years provision is particularly outstanding, giving young children an exceptional start with high expectations for behaviour and development.
Key Strengths
- Outstanding early years provision with children making exceptionally strong starts and developing very well socially and emotionally
- Excellent support for reading - pupils develop a love of books and read accurately and fluently, with strong support for those needing extra help
- Very effective identification and support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, enabling them to follow an inclusive curriculum
- Positive behaviour and attitudes - pupils behave well, attend regularly, and understand the behaviour system
- Broad and interesting curriculum with enrichment activities that help pupils develop well
Areas for Improvement
- Mathematics - while pupils achieve well overall, they have fewer opportunities to develop reasoning and problem-solving skills
- In some lessons, the key knowledge pupils need to learn is not clearly identified, which causes confusion and hinders progress
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with staff being vigilant and dealing with any concerns pupils may have.
Extracurricular Activities
School councillors, buddies, prefects roles, visitors to school, trips, extensive range of clubs
Chancel Primary School is a happy and nurturing school where pupils thrive and achieve well. The school is ambitious and places pupils at the heart of everything, with outstanding early years provision and good overall performance across all key areas.
At a Glance
17.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
29 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 88% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 91% to 81% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 97% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
29.9
Avg class size
29.7
Infant (KS1)
30.0
KS2
8
Total classes
2 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Chancel Primary School
Term dates
Chancel Primary School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Staffordshire. Training (INSET) days, when pupils are not in school, vary by school: check the school's own calendar.
2026 to 2027
- Autumn term: Wednesday 2 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026)
- Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027)
- Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027)
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Chancel Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Chancel Primary School is in Staffordshire; for families living there:
Apply to Staffordshire for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 10
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 10 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 8 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
3 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Staffordshire is 5 (the median across 457 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Chancel Primary School
Will you get a place at Chancel Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Chancel Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Chancel Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Chancel Primary School.
- Last distance offered for 2025 entry, from Staffordshire's own figures, and how your distance compares each year.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Chancel Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Staffordshire got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
101%
Over capacity
212 pupils
210 places
2 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Rugeley
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Rugeley
Across Staffordshire council
Places available
10,768
Applications
8,344
Got 1st preference
95.1%
Got preferred school
99.1%
All primary applications across Staffordshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
23
SEN Support
7
EHC Plans
14.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
210
Total Pupils
123
Boys
87
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
10
Teachers
21.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,044
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,192
Per pupil
£1256k
Total funding
£58k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.3%
Overall absence
4.2%
Persistent absence
189
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Chancel Primary School
Questions parents ask about Chancel Primary School
What are SATs results like at Chancel Primary School?
Of the pupils at Chancel Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 88% reached the expected standard in reading and 81% did so in maths.
What is Chancel Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Chancel Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in July 2011, it was rated Good.
How close to Chancel Primary School do you need to live?
Staffordshire published for September 2025 entry that the last place offered at Chancel Primary School on distance went to a family 0.606 miles away. This is the authority's own figure for one year, not a fixed boundary - the cut-off moves with the number of applications, so treat it as a guide rather than a guarantee.
Is it hard to get a place at Chancel Primary School?
Chancel Primary School was full in 2025, at 101% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Chancel Primary School?
Classes at Chancel Primary School average 29.9 pupils (2025/26). 2 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Chancel Primary School?
Chancel Primary School has around 210 pupils on roll. 18% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Chancel Primary School?
4.3% of sessions were missed at Chancel Primary School in 2024/25. 4.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Chancel Primary School?
Apply through Staffordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Chancel Primary School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
What are Chancel Primary School's term dates?
Chancel Primary School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Staffordshire. In 2026 to 2027: Autumn term: Wednesday 2 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026); Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027); Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027).
How many road collisions happen near Chancel Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 10 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 8 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 3 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Staffordshire is 5 (the median across 457 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Chancel Primary School?
Chancel Primary School is at Wolseley Road, Rugeley, Staffordshire, WS15 2EW.
Sources: Staffordshire admissions booklet; Staffordshire term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)