Picknalls First School, Uttoxeter
Picknalls First School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 9 in Uttoxeter, part of Innovate2educate Partnership Limited. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2020. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in November 2024 did not change this grade. It was 99% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2020)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
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
Picknalls First School in detail
Picknalls First School in its own words
In its own words: "We offer children a place as soon as they are three years old. We provide 15 and 30 hour funded childcare places for 3 and 4 year olds, term time only. Foster carers must make their application with the aid of the social worker to the Early Education and Childcare Team ."
The school runs after-school care until 6:00pm.
Vision and values (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Picknalls First School
For September 2026 entry, 54 families put Picknalls First School as their first choice and 92 named it as one of their preferences, for 54 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 Picknalls First School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Picknalls First School are St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (0.2 miles, Outstanding, 100% reading, 100% maths); St Mary's CofE (A) First School (0.5 miles, Good); Tynsel Parkes CofE Primary Academy (0.7 miles, Good); and Bramshall Meadows First School (0.9 miles).
St Joseph's Catholic Primary SchoolSt Mary's CofE (A) First SchoolTynsel Parkes CofE Primary AcademyBramshall Meadows First School
The trust
Picknalls First School is one of 9 schools run by Innovate2educate Partnership Limited, an academy trust.
What parents say
37 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Picknalls First School (as of September 2025): 95% would recommend the school, 97% say their child is happy there and 71% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (97%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (71%).
Who goes there
9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 4.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 51 pupils (15.3%) received SEN support and 6 (1.8%) 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.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Uttoxeter Rail Station, about 990 metres away (roughly a 12-minute walk).
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Leisure Centre (opposite), 190 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Picknalls First School issued 4 suspensions, 1.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Picknalls First School are Oldfields Hall Middle School (0.2 miles), Windsor Park CE Middle School (0.3 miles) and Thomas Alleyne's High School (0.5 miles).
Oldfields Hall Middle SchoolWindsor Park CE Middle SchoolThomas Alleyne's High School
Sources: 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); DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from January 2020, 6 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
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's November 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This friendly school excels at helping children get off to a great start, especially in the early years where stimulating activities build strong foundations. Pupils enjoy excellent relationships with caring staff who have high expectations and provide strong support for all learners, including those with special needs. The school offers a rich curriculum with plenty of enrichment activities, and parents love the close links between home and school.
Key Strengths
- Pupils learn to read early and well with confident phonics knowledge
- Early years curriculum gives children excellent foundations and helps them settle quickly
- Very positive relationships between staff and pupils with high expectations of behaviour
- Ambitious curriculum with clear learning endpoints that engages all pupils
- Strong wider development programme including clubs, visits, and responsibility roles like school council
Areas for Improvement
- Checks on whether pupils are ready to move to the next step in learning are not always frequent or rigorous enough
- Some pupils struggle because they move on to new work before they are fully ready
- Pupils who are ready for deeper learning do not always have enough opportunities to explore their learning in greater depth
- Assessment arrangements need improvement to better identify readiness and provide appropriate challenge
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with a strong culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Forest school, sport and activity clubs, assemblies including 'surprise' assemblies, school council, playground buddy roles, educational visits
Picknalls First School is a friendly school where pupils are eager to learn and behave particularly well. The school has maintained good standards since its previous inspection, with strong early years provision and effective support for all learners including those with SEND.
At a Glance
9.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
37 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Picknalls First School
Term dates
Picknalls First School is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Staffordshire's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Picknalls First School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Picknalls First 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
- 5
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 3 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on a bicycle.
1 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 Picknalls First School
Will you get a place at Picknalls First School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Picknalls First School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Picknalls First School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Picknalls First School.
- Staffordshire publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Picknalls First School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Picknalls First School for 2017 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
99%
Near capacity
295 pupils
297 places
2 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Uttoxeter
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Uttoxeter
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(3)
Ungraded inspection: Standards have been maintained.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
51
SEN Support
6
EHC Plans
17.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
334
Total Pupils
179
Boys
155
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
17
Teachers
19.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,672
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£4,955
Per pupil
£1593k
Total funding
£36k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.5%
Overall absence
3.3%
Persistent absence
239
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
Picknalls First School
Questions parents ask about Picknalls First School
What is Picknalls First School's Ofsted rating?
Picknalls First School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in November 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in January 2020, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Picknalls First School?
No fixed boundary. When Picknalls First School is oversubscribed, Staffordshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Picknalls First School?
Picknalls First School was close to full in 2025, at 99% of its capacity.
How many pupils go to Picknalls First School?
Picknalls First School has around 334 pupils on roll. 9% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Picknalls First School?
3.5% of sessions were missed at Picknalls First School in 2024/25. 3.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Picknalls First School?
Apply through Staffordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Picknalls First 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 Picknalls First School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 3 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on a bicycle. 1 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 Picknalls First School?
Picknalls First School is at Oldfields Road, Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, ST14 7QL.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)