School Chooser

Wath Central Primary School

Primary · ages 3-11MixedAcademy408 pupilsNurseryRotherham
School Chooser Score
14
Well below
similar schools
Likely range 8 to 25, so it could be “below”
Out of 100. Better than 10% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, May 2022
Reached the expected level at 1158%England 63%
Attendance92.9%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families28%About the same as most schools in England
Places12 spare408 pupils, 420 places
Pupils per teacher24.7School workforce census

Wath Central Primary School is a sponsored academy in Rotherham for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 408 pupils and room for 420. About 28 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, about the same as most schools in England. We give it 14 out of 100. That puts it well below schools like it, ahead of 10% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2022.

Fitzwilliam Street, Wath-upon-Dearne, Rotherham, S63 7HG01709 760345wathcentral.co.ukMs Jude Gray headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 4 May 2022, 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
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

This inspection is more than 4 years old. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of one grade.

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

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

Reached the expected level at 1158%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level2%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score105.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score104.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 56%56%20172018: 72%72%20182019: 67%67%20192023: 55%55%20232024: 35%35%20242025: 58%58%2025
Since 2017: +2%Steady overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure20252024202320192018†2017†RotherhamEngland
Pupils tested526661616159
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths58%35%55%67%72%56%60%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths2%3%3%18%8%7%6%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score105.0103.0103.0105.0106.0103.0104.2105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score104.0102.0103.0106.0105.0106.0103.6104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score104.0102.0104.0108.0108.0107.0103.9105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard73%61%61%72%77%66%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard65%56%74%79%85%83%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)67%44%74%80%79%80%
Reading progressReading progress score-3.5+0.3+0.2+0.2
Maths progressMaths progress score-1.9+1.2+0.5+2.0
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged33%14%38%57%56%40%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged65%44%62%73%78%64%

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.

† These results are for Wath Central Primary, the school this one replaced in December 2017. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

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%65%
Gap 32 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
67%48%
Gap 19 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%2%
Gap 2 ptsEngland 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.

A few spare places373 pupils for 420 places, 2024/25
89% full

About 47 places were empty, so most families who apply get in, though a popular year group can still fill up. Pupil numbers have fallen by 8% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.

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 Rotherham council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

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 roll408Census January 2026
Places42097% full
Pupils from low-income families26%28% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English3%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support24%99 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan5%22 pupils with a plan
Average class size28.213 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils39%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)28%£158,100 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls192 / 216
White British pupils90%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 26.4 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 30.1 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (35), emotional and mental health (32), Specific learning difficulty (24), Autistic spectrum disorder (19), Moderate learning difficulty (6), Physical disability (4).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll408407404424434432
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals26%23%22%22%19%19%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language3%3%3%3%2%2%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support21%22%19%14%16%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans5%4%2%3%2%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 92.9% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance92.9%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school18.6%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils2.52024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission2.1%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence7.1%7.2%6.9%7.2%3.4%5.1%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence5.0%5.1%5.0%5.5%2.4%3.1%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence2.1%2.1%1.9%1.8%1.0%1.9%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence18.6%23.3%21.0%24.7%7.5%11.1%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate2.54.50.00.00.9
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions01000

Staff and money

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

Teachers16.0full-time equivalent, 17 people
Pupils per teacher24.7Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants12.9full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£54,305
Teachers who left in the year7%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher7.42024/25

Money

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

Spend per pupil£6,073England £7,128. Total £2.4m
Income per pupil£6,740England £7,587. Total £2.7m
Spent on teachers per pupil£2,735England £3,405
Money in reserve5%Not much put by: £145k, £365 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£264kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£6,073spent 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 m47912 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate114 per 1,000 people25% higher than the England average
Typical house price£190,000Rotherham
Nearest bus stop230 mFestival Road/Fitzwilliam Avenue, 16 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
Our Lady and St Joseph's Catholic Primary SchoolRoman Catholic80 m225Good 202473Compare
Wath Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy660 m423Not inspected66Compare
Wath Victoria Primary SchoolAcademy880 m279Report card 20266Compare
Highfield Farm Primary SchoolAcademy0.8 miles76Report card 20263Compare
Brampton Ellis CofE Primary SchoolAcademy0.9 miles441Good 202424Compare
Swinton Fitzwilliam Primary SchoolAcademy1.3 miles313Not inspected48Compare
Brampton Cortonwood Infant SchoolAcademy1.5 miles110Report card 20269Compare
Swinton Queen Primary SchoolAcademy1.6 miles339Good 202235Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Wath Central Primary School with the 48 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 48 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats10%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the bottom quarter of its group. Its score of 14 is 29 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 4 · middle 43 · highest 80100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 48 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Wath Central Primary School, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.

SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Ossett South Parade PrimaryCouncil15.1 miles418Good 202437Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 14 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 14% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 8 to 25. That range is wide enough that the school could sit in the next band, so take the band as a rough guide rather than a verdict. 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
-0.15
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 52 pupils
Ofsted inspection17% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 4.4 years old
Progress pupils make20%below
-0.21
DfE progress measure; 52 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%in line
-0.01
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%below
-0.10
2024/25; 317 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%below
-0.09
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 52 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 Wath Central Primary School a good school?

The figures are weak. Wath Central Primary School scores 14 out of 100. That is well below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 10% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 8 to 25, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is Wath Central Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Wath Central Primary School good at its last full inspection on 4 May 2022. That was more than four years ago. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of a single grade.

How good are Wath Central Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 58% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 2% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Wath Central Primary School have?

408 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 420 places, so it is 97% full.

Is Wath Central Primary School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 47 places were empty in 2024/25 (11% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Wath Central Primary School?

Pupils were in school 92.9% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 19% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Wath Central Primary School?

The average class had 28.2 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 39% 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
Fitzwilliam Street, Wath-upon-Dearne, Rotherham, S63 7HG
Telephone
01709 760345
Website
www.wathcentral.co.uk
Headteacher
Ms Jude Gray
Type of school
Sponsored academy (Academy sponsor led, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
James Montgomery Academy Trust (20 schools)
Local authority
Rotherham
Ward
Wath
Constituency
Rawmarsh and Conisbrough
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 December 2017 (new provision)
URN
143544 · LAESTAB 3722026 · UKPRN 10061622
Formerly
Wath Central Primary

Where these figures come from