Sir John Moore Church of England Primary School, Swadlincote
Sir John Moore Church of England Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Swadlincote. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2020. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in January 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 15th-highest of the 24 schools in Swadlincote with published results, and 12,428th of 14,452 across England. It was 83% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2020)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Leicestershire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Sir John Moore Church of England Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 65% of Year 6 pupils at Sir John Moore Church of England Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 60% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 78% and 77% in Leicestershire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 82% in reading and 59% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Sir John Moore Church of England Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 6 families put Sir John Moore Church of England Primary School as their first choice and 14 named it as one of their preferences, for 6 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 Sir John Moore Church of England Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Sir John Moore Church of England Primary School are Snarestone Church of England School (1.7 miles, 88% reading, 81% maths); Measham Church of England Primary School (2 miles, Good, 64% reading, 64% maths); St Charles Catholic Primary Voluntary Academy (2 miles, Good, 95% reading, 90% maths); and Austrey CofE Primary School (2.2 miles, Good, 90% reading, 100% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Sir John Moore Church of England Primary School.
Snarestone Church of England SchoolMeasham Church of England Primary SchoolSt Charles Catholic Primary Voluntary AcademyAustrey CofE Primary School
What parents say
82 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Sir John Moore Church of England Primary School (as of September 2025): 52% would recommend the school, 71% say their child is happy there and 43% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (74%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (43%).
Who goes there
13.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 0% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (91%) and Mixed (7%).
In 2026, 10 pupils (9.1%) received SEN support and 4 (3.6%) 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 a moderate learning difficulty.
Staffing
Sir John Moore Church of England Primary School had 9 teachers in 2026, one for every 14 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Sir John Moore Church of England Primary School.
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Black Horse (opposite), 300 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 8 crimes within a mile of the school, most often vehicle crime, violence and sexual offences and other theft. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Leicestershire (58).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Sir John Moore Church of England Primary School issued 1 suspension, 0.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
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; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from February 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: Some aspects are not as strong as at the last graded inspection.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's January 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
The school offers pupils proud, engaging experiences including unique learning opportunities in their own Victorian classroom and museum. Children become confident, fluent readers through a well-designed phonics and reading programme. Pupils with special educational needs receive excellent, well-targeted support that helps them thrive.
Key Strengths
- Strong phonics and reading programme with pupils becoming fluent readers quickly
- Excellent support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, with accurate identification
- Wide range of enriching activities and experiences, including unique access to a Victorian classroom and museum
- Good behaviour and attendance with pupils motivated by the rewards system
- Well-organised early years curriculum that is fit for purpose
Areas for Improvement
- Curriculum not fully planned and sequenced across all subjects, limiting pupil achievement
- Recently implemented curriculum improvements have not yet had time to impact what pupils know and remember
- School does not monitor behaviour trends and patterns closely enough to check if new policies are working
- Relationship with some parents and carers needs improvement, with concerns about the school not being fully addressed
- Some safeguarding records are incomplete and do not clearly show decisions and actions taken
Safeguarding
Arrangements for safeguarding are effective, although some safeguarding records do not clearly document the decisions and actions taken to keep pupils safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Victorian classroom, museum, beekeeping, honey harvesting and selling, Welly Wednesday in early years, learning outside, sporting activities, school council, class representatives, collective worship planning through the SJM collective
Sir John Moore Church of England Primary School is a primary school with new leadership that has begun making improvements, but evidence suggests aspects of the school's work may not be as strong as at the previous inspection. The school's curriculum is at an early stage of renewal and implementation, with weaknesses in the quality of education pupils receive.
About
Sir John Moore Church of England Primary School, previously known as Appleby Grammar School, is a junior school situated in the village of Appleby Magna, in Leicestershire, England. The school was constructed between 1693 and 1697, based on an original design by Sir Christopher Wren and Sir William Wilson.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
13.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
82 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 declined from 82% to 65% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 60% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 59% to 80% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
22.0
Avg class size
26.0
Infant (KS1)
21.3
KS2
5
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Sir John Moore Church of England Primary School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Sir John Moore Church of England Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Sir John Moore Church of England Primary School is in Leicestershire; for families living there:
- Leicestershire's school travel policy: Mainstream School Transport for 5 to 16 year olds
- How to apply: Request for school transport on medical grounds form PDF, 359.48 KB Opens new window
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
No injury road collisions were reported to the police within 500 m of the school's mapped location in 2021 to 2025.
The typical figure for schools in Leicestershire is 3 (the median across 329 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 Sir John Moore Church of England Primary School
Will you get a place at Sir John Moore Church of England Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Sir John Moore Church of England Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Sir John Moore Church of England Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Sir John Moore Church of England Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Leicestershire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Sir John Moore Church of England Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Leicestershire 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
83%
Available places
128 pupils
154 places
26 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Swadlincote
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Swadlincote
Across Leicestershire council
Places available
8,574
Applications
6,827
Got 1st preference
94.0%
Got preferred school
99.3%
All primary applications across Leicestershire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(5)
Ungraded inspection: Some aspects are not as strong as at the last graded inspection.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
10
SEN Support
4
EHC Plans
12.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
110
Total Pupils
58
Boys
52
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
9
Teachers
12.2:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,471
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,306
Per pupil
£852k
Total funding
£17k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.1%
Overall absence
5.6%
Persistent absence
125
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Sir John Moore Church of England Primary School
What are SATs results like at Sir John Moore Church of England Primary School?
Of the pupils at Sir John Moore Church of England Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 65% reached the expected standard in reading and 60% did so in maths.
What is Sir John Moore Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Sir John Moore Church of England Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in February 2020, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Sir John Moore Church of England Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Sir John Moore Church of England Primary School is oversubscribed, Leicestershire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Sir John Moore Church of England Primary School?
Sir John Moore Church of England Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 83% of its 154 places.
How big are the classes at Sir John Moore Church of England Primary School?
Classes at Sir John Moore Church of England Primary School average 22 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Sir John Moore Church of England Primary School?
Sir John Moore Church of England Primary School has around 110 pupils on roll. 14% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Sir John Moore Church of England Primary School?
4.1% of sessions were missed at Sir John Moore Church of England Primary School in 2024/25. 5.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Sir John Moore Church of England Primary School?
Apply through Leicestershire's coordinated admissions process, naming Sir John Moore Church of England 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 Sir John Moore Church of England Primary School?
No injury road collisions were reported to the police within 500 m of the school's mapped location in 2021 to 2025. The typical figure for schools in Leicestershire is 3 (the median across 329 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Sir John Moore Church of England Primary School?
Sir John Moore Church of England Primary School is at 101 Top Street, Appleby Magna, Swadlincote, Derbyshire, DE12 7AH.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)