Rufford Primary and Nursery School, Bulwell
Rufford Primary and Nursery School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Bulwell. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in January 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 56th-highest of the 75 schools in Nottingham with published results, and 11,625th of 14,452 across England. It was 88% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2015)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Nottingham (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Rufford Primary and Nursery School in detail
Results
In 2025, 68% of Year 6 pupils at Rufford Primary and Nursery School reached the expected standard in reading and 64% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 73% and 73% in Nottingham and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (69% in reading, 67% in maths).
Getting a place at Rufford Primary and Nursery School
For September 2026 entry, 40 families put Rufford Primary and Nursery School as their first choice and 51 named it as one of their preferences, for 41 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 Rufford Primary and Nursery School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Rufford Primary and Nursery School are Snape Wood Primary and Nursery School (0.2 miles, Good, 45% reading, 50% maths); Bulwell St Mary's Primary and Nursery School (0.4 miles, Good, 72% reading, 59% maths); Crabtree Farm Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 69% reading, 76% maths); and Hempshill Hall Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 78% reading, 78% maths).
Rufford Primary and Nursery School's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.
Snape Wood Primary and Nursery SchoolBulwell St Mary's Primary and Nursery SchoolCrabtree Farm Primary SchoolHempshill Hall Primary School
Who goes there
49.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 87 pupils (19.9%) received SEN support and 6 (1.4%) 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
Rufford Primary and Nursery School had 25 teachers in 2026, one for every 15 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Bulwell Rail Station, about 810 metres away (roughly a 10-minute walk).
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Catherine Close (opposite), 110 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Rufford Primary and Nursery School stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Rufford Primary and Nursery School issued 35 suspensions, 8.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 2 permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Rufford Primary and Nursery School are The Bulwell Academy (0.5 miles) and Park Vale Academy (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); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; 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 agoThis judgement is from May 2015, 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
Ofsted rated this school Good at its May 2015 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
49.8%
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 68% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 64% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 67% to 60% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
26.1
Avg class size
28.3
Infant (KS1)
28.5
KS2
16
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Rufford Primary and Nursery School
Before and after school care
Rufford Primary and Nursery School 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 Nottingham
Term dates
Rufford Primary and Nursery School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Nottingham. 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 19 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 28 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027)
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Rufford Primary and Nursery School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Rufford Primary and Nursery School is in Nottingham; for families living there:
Apply to Nottingham for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 36
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 7
- Children hurt
- 7
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 36 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 7 serious and 29 slight.
7 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise.
8 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 Nottingham is 37 (the median across 119 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 Rufford Primary and Nursery School
Will you get a place at Rufford Primary and Nursery School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Rufford Primary and Nursery School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Rufford Primary and Nursery School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Rufford Primary and Nursery School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Nottingham, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Rufford Primary and Nursery School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Nottingham 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
88%
Available places
371 pupils
420 places
49 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Bulwell
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Bulwell
Across Nottingham council
Places available
3,880
Applications
2,934
Got 1st preference
94.9%
Got preferred school
98.9%
All primary applications across Nottingham council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(4)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
87
SEN Support
6
EHC Plans
21.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
438
Total Pupils
226
Boys
212
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
25
Teachers
17.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,388
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,361
Per pupil
£2790k
Total funding
£288k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.7%
Overall absence
17.3%
Persistent absence
341
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
Rufford Primary and Nursery School
Questions parents ask about Rufford Primary and Nursery School
What are SATs results like at Rufford Primary and Nursery School?
Of the pupils at Rufford Primary and Nursery School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 68% reached the expected standard in reading and 64% did so in maths.
What is Rufford Primary and Nursery School's Ofsted rating?
Rufford Primary and Nursery School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2015, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Rufford Primary and Nursery School?
No fixed boundary. When Rufford Primary and Nursery School is oversubscribed, Nottingham allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Rufford Primary and Nursery School?
Rufford Primary and Nursery School was not full in 2025: it ran at 88% of its 420 places.
How big are the classes at Rufford Primary and Nursery School?
Classes at Rufford Primary and Nursery School average 26.1 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Rufford Primary and Nursery School?
Rufford Primary and Nursery School has around 438 pupils on roll. 50% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Rufford Primary and Nursery School?
5.7% of sessions were missed at Rufford Primary and Nursery School in 2024/25. 17.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Rufford Primary and Nursery School?
Apply through Nottingham's coordinated admissions process, naming Rufford Primary and Nursery 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.
Does Rufford Primary and Nursery School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Rufford Primary and Nursery School 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.
What are Rufford Primary and Nursery School's term dates?
Rufford Primary and Nursery School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Nottingham. In 2026 to 2027: Autumn term: Wednesday 2 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 19 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 28 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027).
How many road collisions happen near Rufford Primary and Nursery School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 36 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 7 serious and 29 slight. 7 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise. 8 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 Nottingham is 37 (the median across 119 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Rufford Primary and Nursery School?
Rufford Primary and Nursery School is at Hoewood Road, Bulwell, Nottinghamshire, NG6 8LE.
Sources: Nottingham term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)