School Chooser

The Rowan School

Special · ages 4-11MixedCouncil96 pupilsSheffield
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
OfstedNo overall gradeLast Ofsted inspection, October 2024
Reached the expected level at 110%England 63%
Attendance91.8%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families52%Far more than most schools
PlacesFull96 pupils, 90 places
Pupils per teacher5.2School workforce census

The Rowan School is a council special school in Sheffield for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 96 pupils, 6 more than it has places for. About 52 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2024, no overall grade.

4 Durvale Court, Furniss Avenue, Sheffield, S17 3PT0114 235 0479rowanschool.co.ukMs Carla Ribeiro headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 22 October 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Not judged Between September 2024 and November 2025, Ofsted graded each area but stopped giving one overall word.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Outstanding
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Outstanding
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Outstanding
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes
Earlier inspections (1)
DateTypeOutcome
4 July 2023UngradedSchool remains Outstanding (Concerns) - S5 Next

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

18 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.

Reached the expected level at 110%
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 scoreOfficial name: Reading average scaled score
Maths scoreOfficial name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 0%0%20172018: 0%0%20182019: 0%0%20192023: 0%0%20232024: 0%0%20242025: 0%0%2025
Since 2017: +0%
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017SheffieldEngland
Pupils tested181415131510
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%59%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%6%8%
Expected level: readingReading expected standard0%0%0%0%0%0%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard0%0%0%0%0%0%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)0%0%0%0%0%0%
Reading progressReading progress score-7.1-3.4-7.6-10.2
Maths progressMaths progress score-5.1-3.1-7.2-9.0
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged0%0%0%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged0%0%0%

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. Every gap at this school 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
0%0%
No gapEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Pupils learning English vs all pupils
0%0%
No gapEngland 4 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.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Sheffield council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll96Census January 2026
Places90107% full
Pupils from low-income families52%52% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English25%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support0%0 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan100%96 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)53%£77,500 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls76 / 20
White British pupils41%

Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with autism, speech, language and communication.

To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Sheffield with autism provision.

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (67), language and communications needs (28), Profound and multiple learning difficulty (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll96100101999696
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals52%53%49%42%48%46%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language25%28%27%28%29%27%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support0%0%0%0%0%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans100%100%100%100%100%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 91.8% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance91.8%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school22.5%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.5%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence8.2%6.8%8.4%8.6%15.2%6.9%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence6.8%6.5%7.9%8.5%15.2%6.6%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.5%0.3%0.5%0.1%0.1%0.2%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence22.5%19.4%28.4%26.1%74.2%19.4%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.00.00.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers18.6full-time equivalent, 23 people
Pupils per teacher5.2Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants39.2full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£55,726
Teachers who left in the year0%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher1.72024/25

Money

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

Spend per pupil£32,831England £32,258. Total £3.3m
Income per pupil£32,057England £32,367. Total £3.2m
Spent on teachers per pupil£13,506England £11,930
Money in reserve5%Not much put by: £145k, £1,447 per pupil. England 7%
Money in against money out-£77kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£32,831spent 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 m4112 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate35 per 1,000 people62% lower than the England average
Nearest bus stop140 mFurniss Avenue/King Ecgbert Road, 8 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 schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
King Ecgbert SchoolAcademy320 m1,575No overall grade 202494Compare
Dore Primary SchoolCouncil510 m484No overall grade 202587Compare
Totley Primary SchoolAcademy0.6 miles424No overall grade 2025100Compare
Totley All Saints Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolAcademy0.6 miles217Report card 202693Compare
Aldine House Secure Children's CentreSecure units0.9 milesNot inspectedCompare
Bradway Primary SchoolCouncil0.9 miles416Good 202248Compare
William Levick Primary SchoolCouncil1.7 miles207Good 202480Compare
Greenhill Primary SchoolAcademy1.9 miles526Good 202210Compare

Questions parents ask

Is The Rowan School a good school?

The Rowan School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it not judged at its last inspection in October 2024.

What is The Rowan School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated The Rowan School not judged at its last full inspection on 22 October 2024.

How good are The Rowan School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 0% 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. The year group was small, so the percentages jump around a lot from year to year.

How many pupils does The Rowan School have?

96 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 90 places, so it is 107% full.

What is attendance like at The Rowan School?

Pupils were in school 91.8% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 22% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

Does The Rowan School have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It is a special school for autism, speech, language and communication. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

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

Contact and details

Address
4 Durvale Court, Furniss Avenue, Sheffield, S17 3PT
Telephone
0114 235 0479
Website
www.rowanschool.co.uk
Headteacher
Ms Carla Ribeiro
Type of school
Council special school (Community special school, special schools)
Phase
Special school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Sheffield
Ward
Dore and Totley
Constituency
Sheffield Hallam
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
107171 · LAESTAB 3737013 · UKPRN 10077009

Where these figures come from