Rainbow Forge Primary Academy, Sheffield
Rainbow Forge Primary Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Sheffield, part of L.e.a.d. Academy Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in December 2023. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 132nd-highest of the 144 schools in Sheffield with published results, and 13,747th of 14,452 across England. It was 72% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2023)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Sheffield (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Rainbow Forge Primary Academy in detail
Rainbow Forge Primary Academy in its own words
The school runs after-school care.
Coming up: an open day on Thursday 5 November 2026 at 9.30am and an open day on Friday 13 November 2026 at 9.30am. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Sheffield
Wraparound care (school website)Open days on the school's site (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 61% of Year 6 pupils at Rainbow Forge Primary Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 45% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 73% and 72% in Sheffield and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (61% in reading, 48% in maths).
Getting a place at Rainbow Forge Primary Academy
For September 2026 entry, 33 families put Rainbow Forge Primary Academy as their first choice and 57 named it as one of their preferences, for 34 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 Rainbow Forge Primary Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Rainbow Forge Primary Academy are St John Fisher Primary, A Catholic Voluntary Academy (0.7 miles, Good, 84% reading, 81% maths); Emmanuel Anglican/Methodist Junior Academy (0.8 miles, Good, 72% reading, 62% maths); Waterthorpe Infant School (0.8 miles, Good); and Birley Spa Primary Academy (0.9 miles, Requires improvement, 65% reading, 78% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Rainbow Forge Primary Academy.
St John Fisher Primary, A Catholic Voluntary AcademyEmmanuel Anglican/Methodist Junior AcademyWaterthorpe Infant SchoolBirley Spa Primary Academy
The trust
Rainbow Forge Primary Academy is one of 27 schools run by L.e.a.d. Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Who goes there
47% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 6.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (82%) and Mixed (11%).
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Donetsk Way Platform to Halfway, about 340 metres away (roughly a 4-minute walk).
13 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Beighton Road/Westfield Avenue (opposite), 30 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Rainbow Forge Primary Academy issued 26 suspensions, 7.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 2 permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Rainbow Forge Primary Academy are Westfield School (1.2 miles), Outwood Academy City (1.4 miles), The Birley Academy (1.5 miles) and Handsworth Grange Community Sports College (1.7 miles).
Westfield SchoolOutwood Academy CityThe Birley AcademyHandsworth Grange Community Sports College
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; 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 · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its December 2023 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
47.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 61% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 45% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 63% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
24.2
Avg class size
9
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Rainbow Forge Primary Academy
Before and after school care
Rainbow Forge Primary Academy is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Sheffield
Term dates
Rainbow Forge Primary Academy is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Sheffield's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Tube / Metro / Tram
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Rainbow Forge Primary Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Rainbow Forge Primary Academy is in Sheffield; for families living there:
- Sheffield's school travel policy: Home to School Travel and Transport Policy September 2023
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 22
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 8
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 22 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 8 serious and 14 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise.
4 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 Sheffield is 17 (the median across 193 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 Rainbow Forge Primary Academy
Will you get a place at Rainbow Forge Primary Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Rainbow Forge Primary Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Rainbow Forge Primary Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Rainbow Forge Primary Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Sheffield, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Rainbow Forge Primary Academy for 2017 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Sheffield 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
72%
Available places
277 pupils
384 places
107 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Sheffield
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Sheffield
Across Sheffield council
Places available
6,785
Applications
5,415
Got 1st preference
95.1%
Got preferred school
98.9%
All primary applications across Sheffield council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
61
SEN Support
14
EHC Plans
21.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
347
Total Pupils
183
Boys
164
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
16
Teachers
21.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,628
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,607
Per pupil
£1799k
Total funding
£182k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.5%
Overall absence
19.5%
Persistent absence
262
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
Rainbow Forge Primary Academy
Questions parents ask about Rainbow Forge Primary Academy
What are SATs results like at Rainbow Forge Primary Academy?
Of the pupils at Rainbow Forge Primary Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 61% reached the expected standard in reading and 45% did so in maths.
What is Rainbow Forge Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?
Rainbow Forge Primary Academy was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in December 2023. At its previous graded inspection in 2020 it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for Rainbow Forge Primary Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Rainbow Forge Primary Academy is oversubscribed, Sheffield allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Rainbow Forge Primary Academy?
Rainbow Forge Primary Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 72% of its 384 places.
How big are the classes at Rainbow Forge Primary Academy?
Classes at Rainbow Forge Primary Academy average 24.2 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Rainbow Forge Primary Academy?
Rainbow Forge Primary Academy has around 347 pupils on roll. 47% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Rainbow Forge Primary Academy?
6.5% of sessions were missed at Rainbow Forge Primary Academy in 2024/25. 19.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Rainbow Forge Primary Academy?
Apply through Sheffield's coordinated admissions process, naming Rainbow Forge Primary Academy 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.
Does Rainbow Forge Primary Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Rainbow Forge Primary Academy is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school.
How many road collisions happen near Rainbow Forge Primary Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 22 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 8 serious and 14 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise. 4 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 Sheffield is 17 (the median across 193 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Rainbow Forge Primary Academy?
Rainbow Forge Primary Academy is at Beighton Road, Hackenthorpe, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S12 4LQ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)