St Edmund's CofE (C) Primary & Nursery School Review 2026: One form entry, Church of England ethos, solid KS2 outcomes

A small, one form entry primary in Mansfield Woodhouse with an on-site nursery, a clear Church of England identity, and an admissions picture that is more competitive than the roll size suggests. Reception places are allocated through Nottinghamshire County Council, while nursery entry is handled directly by the school.

Academic outcomes at the end of Year 6 read as a solid current profile. In the current dataset, 70% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined. At the higher standard, 10% reached greater depth.

The latest Ofsted inspection dates are 29 June and 12 July 2021, with the published outcome confirming the school continued to be judged Good.

The school’s language is unapologetically faith-led but practical rather than performative. The website sets out a Christian foundation and a defined set of values, including respect, responsibility, perseverance, truth and trust, compassion, justice and forgiveness, which gives families a good steer on the tone the school is aiming for.

There are also signs of a school trying to keep its day-to-day offer modern. A recent update to parents describes investments such as a new phonics scheme, new interactive whiteboard panels, repairs to outdoor play equipment, new playground markings, and a new trim trail funded through the sports premium. These are the sorts of operational details that tend to correlate with a leadership team paying attention to basics that matter in classrooms and at playtimes.

History and place matter here too, even if it is not heavily foregrounded in school marketing. Historic England records a former St Edmund’s Church of England school building with the inscription “National School 1845”, and the associated listing describes a Tudor Revival school dating from 1845 (with later additions). For parents, that is mostly interesting as context, it suggests the St Edmund’s name has long roots in the area, and the school sits within a local Church of England tradition rather than being a recently created brand.

Leadership is clearly identified on the school website, with Mr Anthony Bandy-Webb named as Headteacher. A separate letter to parents states he began his headship in September 2024, which is useful as it anchors the current phase of leadership and decision-making to a specific start point.

The key results story is Key Stage 2, and the numbers are reassuring.

Expected standard (current KS2 dataset)

70% met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined.

Higher standard (current KS2 dataset)

10% achieved the higher standard in reading, writing and maths.

Scaled scores (current KS2 dataset)

average scaled score of 105 in reading and 105 in maths, with grammar, punctuation and spelling also at 105.

FindMySchool’s proprietary ranking, based on official outcomes data, places the school at 7,476th of 14,978 schools academically and 7,959th overall, with a local rank of 1st in Mansfield Woodhouse for primary outcomes. Parents should interpret this alongside the KS2 results above, which are solid in the current dataset and may reflect cohort variation or differences between single-year results and multi-measure ranking methods.

If you are comparing nearby primaries, the FindMySchool Local Hub pages and the Comparison Tool are a sensible way to line up KS2 measures and context side-by-side, rather than trying to infer too much from a single headline.

A school’s published curriculum intent is rarely the whole story, but it does reveal priorities and how leaders want teaching to feel. St Edmund’s frames its curriculum as a progressive learning journey rooted in Christian values, with explicit reference to spiritual, moral, social and cultural development alongside academic knowledge and skills.

Operational choices described to parents suggest a particular focus on early reading. The school reports investing in a new phonics scheme, which is typically a whole-school decision affecting staff training, lesson structure, decodable reading books, and consistency of approach from early years through Key Stage 1. For families, the practical implication is that children who need a structured start in reading should find a coherent system rather than mixed methods between classes.

On the inclusion side, the published admissions policy also signals priorities. It explicitly notes looked-after children and children with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the school as high priority in oversubscription criteria, and it sets out the Published Admission Number framework leaders are working within.

As a state primary, the main transition point is into secondary education at Year 7. The school’s own admissions material links families to Nottinghamshire County Council’s catchment and previous applications information, which is generally the right place to validate likely secondary pathways and realistic options year to year.

A useful local contextual clue is that a Nottinghamshire County Council Mansfield primary schools document lists The Manor Academy as the linked secondary school for St Edmund’s. Families should still check the current catchment mapping and admissions criteria, as patterns can shift over time, but it provides an initial steer for transition planning conversations.

This is the section where families often need the most concrete answers.

Reception entry (September 2027)

Reception admissions are coordinated by Nottinghamshire County Council. For September 2027, Nottinghamshire states:

• Applications open: 2 November 2026

• Closing date: 15 January 2027

• National offer day: 16 April 2027

The school’s own admissions policy confirms that the local authority is responsible for admissions, and it sets out the admission numbers and oversubscription criteria framework.

Nursery entry

Nursery admissions are arranged by the school rather than the local authority, and children can join at the start of the school term following their third birthday. (Nursery fee details are not included here; families should use the school’s official information. Government-funded hours are available for eligible families.)

How competitive is it

The data for the primary entry route indicates clear competition for places. There were 116 applications for 29 offers, which equates to 4 applications per place, and the school is recorded as oversubscribed.

The most recent Ofsted report outcome confirms the school continued to be judged Good, and the wider inspection history shows a sustained period at Good in recent cycles.

On day-to-day structures, wraparound care is addressed through a partnership model. The school states it partners with The Lime Trees to offer wraparound care for pupils before and after school, which will suit families who need consistent childcare around working hours, even though the detailed operational specifics sit with the external provider.

The school positions extracurriculars as an entitlement rather than a luxury. After-school clubs are described as free to access for all pupils, with clubs running weekly each half term and a booking form sent at the end of each half term. All clubs run from 3:15pm to 4:15pm.

Sport is an obvious pillar. The school reports winning the Mansfield Schools’ Rugby Tournament for the past six years running, and also mentions competitive activity across football, basketball, athletics, swimming, dodgeball, and tennis. The implication for families is that sporty pupils should find both participation and competitive pathways, while less sport-driven children still have a structure where clubs rotate each half term rather than being limited to a single seasonal offer.

There are also signs of pupil voice and civic participation being taken seriously. The #StEdLEADERS page describes a School Parliament, with elected pupil representatives involved in discussion and decision-making. For some children, that kind of structured responsibility is a confidence-builder, particularly when it is tied to practical school improvement rather than token roles.

Sustainability and climate education is another differentiator. The school publishes a Sustainability and Climate Plan framed around four focus areas including decarbonisation, biodiversity, and Eco Team projects. In primary terms, that often translates into practical projects, habitat work, and a sense that learning is connected to the local environment rather than confined to worksheets.

School day timings

for Reception and Years 1 to 6, the day runs 08:45 to 15:15. Nursery (Foundation 1) part-time sessions are 08:40 to 11:40 and 12:20 to 15:20.

Wraparound care

the school references wraparound care via a partnership with The Lime Trees. If you need exact start and finish times, booking rules, or pricing, those details are typically confirmed directly through the provider.

Getting there

the school sits on Church Hill Avenue in Mansfield Woodhouse. A Planning Inspectorate document notes footpaths on both sides of the road, which supports walking routes, while also indicating a residential-road context where pick-up and drop-off can be constrained by typical on-street parking patterns.

• Wraparound care is partnered out. The school signposts provision via The Lime Trees, which can be convenient, but families who want everything fully run by school staff may prefer a different model.

• Rankings versus single-year results need careful reading. Current KS2 outcomes are solid, while the FindMySchool England ranking position sits around the middle of the national distribution. Treat this as a prompt to look at several indicators, not as a contradiction to argue away.

• Faith character is real. The Church of England identity and Christian framing of values will suit many families, but those looking for a deliberately secular ethos should check fit carefully.

St Edmund’s reads as a compact, community-embedded primary with a clear Church of England ethos and a solid current KS2 results profile. The current headteacher’s tenure beginning in September 2024 suggests the school is in an active phase of operational improvement, with tangible investments in early reading and learning environments.

Best suited to families who want a values-led school, are comfortable with a faith-informed approach to school life, and can engage early with Nottinghamshire’s admissions timelines. The greatest barrier is getting a place.