School Chooser

Heckington St Andrew's Church of England School

Primary · ages 4-11MixedChurch of England161 pupilsSleafordLincolnshire
School Chooser Score
36
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 17 to 62
Out of 100. Better than 53% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, February 2024
Reached the expected level at 1155%England 63%
Attendance95.4%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families29%About the same as most schools in England
Places49 spare161 pupils, 210 places
Pupils per teacher16.8School workforce census

Heckington St Andrew's Church of England School is a Church of England school (voluntary controlled) in Sleaford for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 161 pupils and room for 210. About 29 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, about the same as most schools in England. We give it 36 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 53% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2024.

Heckington St. Andrew's C of E Primary School, Howell Road, Heckington, Sleaford, NG34 9RX01529 460633heckington.lincs.sch.ukMrs Judith Bentley headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 7 February 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
Outstanding
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

20 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1155%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level0%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score104.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score102.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 74%74%20172018: 50%50%20182019: 47%47%20192023: 63%63%20232024: 52%52%20242025: 55%55%2025
Since 2017: -19%Steady overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017LincolnshireEngland
Pupils tested202730192423
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths55%52%63%47%50%74%59%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%11%0%0%0%4%6%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score104.0105.0104.0102.0103.0104.0104.5105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score102.0102.0102.0101.099.0102.0103.5104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score102.0102.0103.0104.0103.0105.0103.9105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard70%78%77%68%79%74%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard65%63%77%58%58%74%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)75%85%73%95%96%78%
Reading progressReading progress score+0.6-2.9-2.0-1.6
Maths progressMaths progress score-1.1-4.3-5.1-3.4
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged33%38%14%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged64%64%78%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 1 of the 3 gaps is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
33%64%
Gap 31 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
40%70%
Gap 30 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%0%
No gapEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published. As a Church of England school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

Plenty of spare places150 pupils for 210 places, 2024/25
71% full

60 places were empty (29% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 13% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.

Will my child get a place?

In 2026 every child who applied got a place, so how far away you live didn't matter. That could change if the school gets more popular.

We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.

How places were given out for September 2026. Every child who applied got a place (20 offers for 30 places).

EntryPlacesGot a placeHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary3020all offeredLA
2025 Primary3028all offeredLA
2024 Primary3013all offeredLA
2023 Primary3023all offeredLA
2022 Primary3020all offeredLA
2021 Primary3022all offeredLA
2020 Primary3030LA
2019 Primary3018all offeredLA

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll161Census January 2026
Places21077% full
Pupils from low-income families29%29% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English3%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support15%24 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan3%4 pupils with a plan
Average class size23.07 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils14%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)27%£66,650 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls75 / 86
White British pupils91%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 20.7 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 24.8 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Other difficulty or disability (9), language and communications needs (8), emotional and mental health (4), Specific learning difficulty (3), Physical disability (2), Autistic spectrum disorder (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll161158168168170179
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals29%32%33%27%22%21%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language3%3%3%4%4%4%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support7%8%8%8%13%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans3%2%2%4%4%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.4% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance95.4%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school10.4%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils3.22024/25, 1 permanent exclusion
Missed without permission0.5%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence4.6%5.0%5.4%6.4%3.2%4.4%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence4.1%3.7%4.6%5.7%2.7%3.6%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.5%1.3%0.7%0.7%0.5%0.8%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence10.4%11.5%15.7%17.8%6.7%12.2%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate3.20.60.00.00.6
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions10000

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers9.6full-time equivalent, 11 people
Pupils per teacher16.8Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants4.9full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£47,867
Teachers who left in the year0%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher0.22024/25

Money

From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£7,622England £7,738. Total £1.2m
Income per pupil£7,358England £7,697. Total £1.2m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,670England £3,480
Money in reserve6%Not much put by: £68k, £429 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out-£42kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£7,622spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m7112 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate48 per 1,000 people47% lower than the England average
Typical house price£240,000North Kesteven
Nearest bus stop220 mOld School, 5 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Helpringham Primary AcademyAcademy2.4 miles83Good 202450Compare
The Kirkby-la-Thorpe Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy2.9 miles106Good 202330Compare
William Alvey SchoolAcademy4.6 miles570Good 202272Compare
Church Lane Primary School & NurseryCouncil4.8 miles218No overall grade 202590Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Heckington St Andrew's Church of England School with the 45 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 45 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats53%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the upper half of its group. Its score of 36 is about the same as the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 1 · middle 34 · highest 89100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 36 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 36% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 17 to 62. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years25%below
-0.11
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 20 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 2.6 years old
Progress pupils make20%in line
-0.02
DfE progress measure; 20 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%in line
-0.03
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%in line
+0.03
2024/25; 145 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%below
-0.05
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 20 pupils
What parents say0%no data

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Heckington St Andrew's Church of England School a good school?

It is about average. Heckington St Andrew's Church of England School scores 36 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 53% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 17 to 62, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is Heckington St Andrew's Church of England School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Heckington St Andrew's Church of England School good at its last full inspection on 7 February 2024.

How good are Heckington St Andrew's Church of England School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 55% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Heckington St Andrew's Church of England School have?

161 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 210 places, so it is 77% full.

Is Heckington St Andrew's Church of England School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 60 places were empty in 2024/25 (29% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Heckington St Andrew's Church of England School?

Pupils were in school 95.4% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 10% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Heckington St Andrew's Church of England School?

The average class had 23.0 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 14% of classes had more than 30 pupils.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Heckington St. Andrew's C of E Primary School, Howell Road, Heckington, Sleaford, NG34 9RX
Telephone
01529 460633
Website
www.heckington.lincs.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Judith Bentley
Type of school
Church of England school (voluntary controlled) (Voluntary controlled school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England, Diocese of Lincoln
Local authority
Lincolnshire
Ward
Heckington Rural
Constituency
Grantham and Bourne
Setting
Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
URN
120526 · LAESTAB 9253033 · UKPRN 10079891

Where these figures come from