The Richard Clarke First School, Rugeley
The Richard Clarke First School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 9 in Rugeley, part of Innovate2educate Partnership Limited. It was 71% full in 2025.
- 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 26 Oct 2026
The Richard Clarke First School in detail
Getting a place at The Richard Clarke First School
For September 2026 entry, 17 families put The Richard Clarke First School as their first choice and 22 named it as one of their preferences, for 17 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 The Richard Clarke First School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to The Richard Clarke First School are Talbot First School (3.3 miles); The St. Mary's CofE Primary School (3.3 miles, Outstanding, 90% reading, 85% maths); Needwood CofE Primary School (3.4 miles, Outstanding, 73% reading, 93% maths); and Henry Chadwick Primary School (4.3 miles, Good, 73% reading, 73% maths).
Talbot First SchoolThe St. Mary's CofE Primary SchoolNeedwood CofE Primary SchoolHenry Chadwick Primary School
The trust
The Richard Clarke First School is one of 9 schools run by Innovate2educate Partnership Limited, an academy trust.
Who goes there
2.8% 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.
Staffing
The Richard Clarke First School had 7 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
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of The Richard Clarke First School.
2 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Butter Cross (opposite), 150 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood The Richard Clarke First School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 7 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, other theft and public order offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Staffordshire (86).
Suspensions and exclusions
The Richard Clarke First School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: 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 · 2 years agoOverall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good and may be improving; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
The Richard Clarke First School has had no graded Ofsted inspection since it took its current form in September 2021. Before that, as The Richard Clarke First School (URN 124052), it was rated Good in February 2012.
At a Glance
2.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
21.2
Avg class size
22.3
Infant (KS1)
19.5
KS2
5
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with The Richard Clarke First School
Term dates
The Richard Clarke 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 The Richard Clarke First School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. The Richard Clarke 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
- 1
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 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 The Richard Clarke First School
Will you get a place at The Richard Clarke First School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against The Richard Clarke First School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for The Richard Clarke First School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to The Richard Clarke First School.
- Staffordshire publishes last distance offered figures, but none for The Richard Clarke First School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at The Richard Clarke First School for 2022 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
71%
Available places
106 pupils
150 places
44 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Rugeley
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Rugeley
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
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good and may be improving; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
18
SEN Support
6
EHC Plans
22.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
106
Total Pupils
55
Boys
51
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
7
Teachers
15.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,909
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,689
Per pupil
£654k
Total funding
£2k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.3%
Overall absence
6.7%
Persistent absence
90
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about The Richard Clarke First School
What is The Richard Clarke First School's Ofsted rating?
The Richard Clarke First School has had no graded Ofsted inspection since it took its current form in September 2021. Before that, as The Richard Clarke First School (URN 124052), it was rated Good in February 2012.
What is the catchment area for The Richard Clarke First School?
No fixed boundary. When The Richard Clarke 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 The Richard Clarke First School?
The Richard Clarke First School was not full in 2025: it ran at 71% of its 150 places.
How big are the classes at The Richard Clarke First School?
Classes at The Richard Clarke First School average 21.2 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to The Richard Clarke First School?
The Richard Clarke First School has around 106 pupils on roll. 3% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at The Richard Clarke First School?
3.3% of sessions were missed at The Richard Clarke First School in 2024/25. 6.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to The Richard Clarke First School?
Apply through Staffordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming The Richard Clarke 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 The Richard Clarke First School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 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 The Richard Clarke First School?
The Richard Clarke First School is at Schoolhouse Lane, Abbots Bromley, Rugeley, Staffordshire, WS15 3BT.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)