Totley All Saints Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Review 2026: High-attaining Church school with strong reading culture

A small Sheffield primary with a big-results profile, Totley All Saints combines consistently high attainment with a clear Church of England identity and a well-structured school day. Pupils’ Key Stage 2 outcomes sit well above England averages, with a sizeable proportion working at the higher standard. The school is part of the Diocese of Sheffield Academies Trust (DSAT), and its local reputation means demand is higher than places in the main intake year.

There is a distinctive blend here: the feel of a village-scale school, plus the expectations and systems of an organisation that has to stay sharp to sustain outstanding standards. The ethos is explicitly Christian, and it shows up not just in worship but in pupil leadership structures. For example, the CREW Council is designed to strengthen Religious Education and collective worship, and pupils take on practical responsibilities such as planning and leading assemblies.

A second strand is the school’s outward-looking “global neighbour” framing. The Global Neighbours Team sits alongside other pupil voice groups and links the Church-school identity to practical themes like sustainability, rights-respecting work, and community engagement.

The most recent Ofsted inspection (12 to 13 October 2021) confirmed the school continues to be Outstanding, and safeguarding arrangements were judged effective.

This is a high-performing primary by any reasonable benchmark. In 2024, 89% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with an England average of 62%.

Depth matters too. About one-third (33.33%) achieved the higher standard in reading, writing and maths, versus an England average of 8%. That is the sort of distribution that suggests the school is not only lifting pupils to the pass line, but pushing a meaningful cohort beyond it.

Scaled scores reinforce the same picture. Reading and grammar, punctuation and spelling are both at 110, with maths at 107.

On FindMySchool’s proprietary rankings (based on official data), the school is ranked 958th in England for primary outcomes and 6th in Sheffield, placing it well above England average overall (top 10% in England).

Parents comparing local options can use the FindMySchool Local Hub page to view these results side-by-side with nearby primaries using the Comparison Tool.

Reading is treated as a non-negotiable priority, particularly in the early years of school. Phonics teaching is described as consistent and well supported by staff training, and older pupils are steered towards ambitious texts.

Curriculum planning is framed as deliberate and sequenced, with knowledge built step-by-step so that later learning rests on firm foundations. That matters most in subjects where schools can otherwise slip into topic-hopping. Here, the intent is clearly that pupils “know more and remember more” across the curriculum, not just in English and maths.

The History curriculum is a good example of that intent-led approach. It explicitly emphasises chronology, cause and consequence, interpretation and evidence, then connects those concepts to enquiry skills pupils will need at Key Stage 3.

As a primary, the most practical question is transition. Most pupils move on to King Ecgbert School, where Totley All Saints is listed as a designated feeder primary.

A smaller number of families choose independent secondary routes, and the school itself names examples of destinations such as Mount St Mary’s College, Westbourne School, and Birkdale School, including references to scholarships and bursaries for some pupils.

Reception applications are made through Sheffield’s coordinated admissions process, but because this is a voluntary aided Church of England school, the governing body ranks applicants using the school’s oversubscription criteria. Families applying on the basis of church attendance can submit a supplementary form verified by a minister, although the school is clear that not attending church does not prevent children being offered a place if criteria are met.

Demand is the headline. In the main entry route, there were 95 applications for 25 offers, which equates to around 3.8 applications per place. Put plainly, admission is competitive, and families should treat it as such when planning. (The school’s published admission number may differ from offers in a specific year due to cohort structure and places available.)

For 2026 entry in Sheffield, the published closing date for Reception applications is 15 January 2026, with offers released in April 2026. For families trying to sense-check distance and likely allocation, FindMySchoolMap Search can help you verify practical proximity, then compare it with the pattern of outcomes over time.

Open mornings are part of the school’s normal admissions rhythm and typically include a headteacher presentation plus a tour, with booking handled directly by the school office.

Behaviour systems are explicit and visible. Merit Teams (Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Diamond) create a whole-school structure for rewarding choices, effort and teamwork, and pupils can take formal responsibility as Merit Captains.

Safeguarding and wellbeing are treated as shared responsibilities. The formal assurance from external review is strong, and day-to-day routines (clear expectations, consistent adult responses, and structured pupil roles) point in the same direction.

The enrichment offer is unusually well specified for a state primary, and it is not limited to generic sports and arts.

Clubs and weekly programmes (example list for 2025 to 2026) include Young Voices Choir, Mini Musicians, Coding Club, and a range of sport options. There are also named themed weeks such as Book Week, Maths Week, Online Safety Week, and Cultural Week.

Trips and residentials are also concrete rather than vague. Recent visits include Kelham Island, Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet, Jorvik, Magna, Eden Camp, and Sheffield Mosque, plus residentials for Years 4 to 6 that have included Edale and Thornbridge.

Outdoor learning is a visible part of the school’s identity, with a “Woodland Workshop” referenced as a defined space for practical learning and environmental responsibility.

The core school day starts at 8:50am, with classroom doors open from 8:40am, and ends at 3:25pm (3:20pm for Reception).

Wraparound care is a real strength operationally, both in breadth and in published detail. Breakfast Club runs from 7:30am, and there is also a free breakfast option from 8:20am. After School Club runs until 6:00pm, with half-session and full-session pricing published.

For travel and drop-off, families should expect the usual constraints of a popular primary on a residential road. The school publishes separate car parking guidance, and it is worth reading before making assumptions about drive-up convenience.

• High demand for places. With around 3.8 applications per place in the main intake route, admission is the obstacle, not the quality of education once you are in.

• Faith dimension is real. The Church of England character is not cosmetic, with collective worship and pupil leadership structures (such as CREW Council) built around it. Families wanting a fully secular experience may prefer alternatives.

• Older buildings bring trade-offs. The school site includes older structures (with the first building on the present site dating back to 1877), which can mean quirks around space and access even when well maintained.

A high-performing Sheffield primary that pairs strong attainment with clear routines, leadership opportunities for pupils, and an explicitly Christian ethos. It suits families who want ambitious academic outcomes, structured behaviour expectations, and a Church school identity that shapes daily life. The limiting factor is securing a place.