Kirkstall St Stephen's Church of England (VA) Primary School, Leeds
Kirkstall St Stephen's Church of England (VA) Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Leeds. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in October 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 122nd-highest of the 182 schools in Leeds with published results, and 10,359th of 14,452 across England. It was 97% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2014)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Leeds (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Kirkstall St Stephen's Church of England (VA) Primary School in detail
Kirkstall St Stephen's Church of England (VA) Primary School in its own words
In its own words: "We are cherished - we aim to create a caring environment where all children and staff feel welcome, supported, valued and respected. We are challenged - we aim to provide a stimulating and challenging learning environment, where achievements are recognised, and it's also safe to fail."
From the headteacher's welcome: "On behalf of all the children, staff and governors, I would like to welcome you to Kirkstall St Stephen's CE Primary School. Kirkstall St Stephen's Church of England Primary School has been at the heart of our community for many years, yet our passion for providing the very best education, underpinned by a strong Christian ethos, remains undiminished."
The school runs after-school care, from £6.50 per session.
Coming up: an open day on Wednesday 4 November 2026 at 1.30pm. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
Vision and values (school website)Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)Open days on the school's site (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 70% of Year 6 pupils at Kirkstall St Stephen's Church of England (VA) Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 70% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 76% in Leeds and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 87% in reading and 73% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Kirkstall St Stephen's Church of England (VA) Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 23 families put Kirkstall St Stephen's Church of England (VA) Primary School as their first choice and 86 named it as one of their preferences, for 29 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Kirkstall St Stephen's Church of England (VA) Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Kirkstall St Stephen's Church of England (VA) Primary School are Beecroft Primary School (0.4 miles, Outstanding, 90% reading, 92% maths); Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy (0.4 miles, Good, 65% reading, 68% maths); Hollybush Primary (0.7 miles, Good, 61% reading, 66% maths); and Kirkstall Valley Primary School (0.8 miles, Good, 83% reading, 83% maths).
Kirkstall St Stephen's Church of England (VA) Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.
Beecroft Primary SchoolSacred Heart Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary AcademyHollybush PrimaryKirkstall Valley Primary School
Who goes there
In 2026, 46 pupils (22.9%) received SEN support and 3 (1.5%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Staffing
Kirkstall St Stephen's Church of England (VA) Primary School had 13 teachers in 2026, one for every 16 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Headingley Rail Station, about 360 metres away (roughly a 4-minute walk).
17 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Kirkstall Health Centre (at), 90 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Kirkstall St Stephen's Church of England (VA) Primary School issued 18 suspensions, 8.8 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Kirkstall St Stephen's Church of England (VA) Primary School are Abbey Grange Church of England Academy (1.2 miles) and Lawnswood School (1.3 miles).
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoThis judgement is from November 2014, 11 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's October 2023 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This school genuinely cherishes each child and works hard to help them succeed, regardless of their background or additional needs. Teachers deliver an ambitious curriculum with high expectations for all pupils, supported by clear planning and helpful learning materials. Pupils take on real responsibility through various leadership roles and enjoy a range of clubs and activities that enrich their learning.
Key Strengths
- Well-planned and ambitious curriculum with clear identification of key knowledge across all subjects
- Strong support for pupils with SEND, with quick identification of needs and effective adaptations
- High priority on reading with quality training for staff, though delivery precision needs improvement
- Pupils play significant roles in school community with many leadership opportunities and clubs available
- Positive relationships and behavior, with pupils feeling safe and accepted
Areas for Improvement
- Phonics delivery sometimes lacks precision, causing some struggling readers to fall behind peers
- Assessment procedures do not always check how well pupils have developed disciplinary knowledge
- Need to better assess what pupils understand about being a subject expert
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
Extracurricular Activities
Sports clubs, cooking club, global club, church visits, harvest festival
Kirkstall St Stephen's Church of England (VA) Primary School continues to be a good school where pupils' well-being is at the heart of everything. Pupils from all backgrounds are cherished, challenged, and supported to flourish.
At a Glance
33.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 87% to 70% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 70% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 73% to 67% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
28.4
Avg class size
28.3
Infant (KS1)
28.5
KS2
7
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Kirkstall St Stephen's Church of England (VA) Primary School
Term dates
Kirkstall St Stephen's Church of England (VA) Primary School is a voluntary aided school, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Leeds's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
You apply to the council where you live. Kirkstall St Stephen's Church of England (VA) Primary School is in Leeds; for families living there:
Apply to Leeds for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 57
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 12
- Children hurt
- 7
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 57 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 12 serious and 45 slight.
7 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 5 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise.
14 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 Leeds is 18.5 (the median across 308 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 Kirkstall St Stephen's Church of England (VA) Primary School
Will you get a place at Kirkstall St Stephen's Church of England (VA) Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Kirkstall St Stephen's Church of England (VA) Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Kirkstall St Stephen's Church of England (VA) Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Kirkstall St Stephen's Church of England (VA) Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Leeds, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Kirkstall St Stephen's Church of England (VA) Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Leeds 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
97%
Near capacity
204 pupils
210 places
6 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Leeds
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Leeds
Across Leeds council
Places available
10,125
Applications
8,039
Got 1st preference
92.4%
Got preferred school
99.0%
All primary applications across Leeds council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
46
SEN Support
3
EHC Plans
24.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
201
Total Pupils
112
Boys
89
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
13
Teachers
15.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£54,712
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,823
Per pupil
£1368k
Total funding
£105k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.0%
Overall absence
20.8%
Persistent absence
178
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
Kirkstall St Stephen's Church of England (VA) Primary School
Questions parents ask about Kirkstall St Stephen's Church of England (VA) Primary School
What are SATs results like at Kirkstall St Stephen's Church of England (VA) Primary School?
Of the pupils at Kirkstall St Stephen's Church of England (VA) Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 70% reached the expected standard in reading and 70% did so in maths.
What is Kirkstall St Stephen's Church of England (VA) Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Kirkstall St Stephen's Church of England (VA) Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in November 2014, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Kirkstall St Stephen's Church of England (VA) Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Kirkstall St Stephen's Church of England (VA) Primary School is oversubscribed, Leeds allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Kirkstall St Stephen's Church of England (VA) Primary School?
Kirkstall St Stephen's Church of England (VA) Primary School was close to full in 2025, at 97% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Kirkstall St Stephen's Church of England (VA) Primary School?
Classes at Kirkstall St Stephen's Church of England (VA) Primary School average 28.4 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Kirkstall St Stephen's Church of England (VA) Primary School?
Kirkstall St Stephen's Church of England (VA) Primary School has around 201 pupils on roll. 33% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Kirkstall St Stephen's Church of England (VA) Primary School?
7% of sessions were missed at Kirkstall St Stephen's Church of England (VA) Primary School in 2024/25. 20.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Kirkstall St Stephen's Church of England (VA) Primary School?
Apply through Leeds's coordinated admissions process, naming Kirkstall St Stephen's Church of England (VA) 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.
How many road collisions happen near Kirkstall St Stephen's Church of England (VA) Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 57 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 12 serious and 45 slight. 7 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 5 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise. 14 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 Leeds is 18.5 (the median across 308 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Kirkstall St Stephen's Church of England (VA) Primary School?
Kirkstall St Stephen's Church of England (VA) Primary School is at Morris Lane, Kirkstall, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS5 3JD.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)