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

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

Expected standard (KS2, 2024)

81% met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, versus an England average of 62%.

Higher standard (KS2, 2024)

11% achieved the higher standard in reading, writing and maths, compared with 8% across England.

Scaled scores (KS2, 2024)

average scaled score of 103 in reading and 103 in maths (with grammar, punctuation and spelling also at 103).

FindMySchool’s proprietary ranking, based on official outcomes data, places the school at 11,070th in England and 26th in Mansfield for primary outcomes. That translates to below-England-average positioning within the overall England distribution (60th to 100th percentile band). Parents should interpret this alongside the year-specific KS2 results above, which are stronger than the England averages and may reflect recent improvement, 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 2026)

Reception admissions are coordinated by Nottinghamshire County Council. For September 2026, Nottinghamshire states:

• Applications open: 3 November 2025

• Closing date: 15 January 2026

• National offer day: 16 April 2026

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. KS2 outcomes for 2024 are above England averages, while the FindMySchool England ranking position sits in a lower percentile band. 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 strong recent 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.