Rufford Park Primary School

About Rufford Park Primary School

Rufford Park Primary School holds a Good rating from Ofsted, a grade it has maintained since its most recent graded inspection in 2012, with an ungraded inspection in 2022 confirming the school remains Good. The most telling academic metric is the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which sits at 66%. That is five percentage points above the Leeds local authority average of 61%, placing the school in the top half of primary schools nationally and within the top 50% of its region. In the Leeds local authority ranking, Rufford Park sits 88th out of 204 primary schools, meaning it performs better than roughly 57% of its peers. The school’s leadership and management were also judged Good in that 2012 inspection, and the headteacher, David Cooke, leads a school of 327 pupils, just shy of its 341 capacity.

Looking more closely at the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, the school’s strengths are spread across the three core subjects. In maths, 78% of pupils reached the expected standard, with an average scaled score of 105 and 32% achieving the higher standard. Reading saw 73% at the expected level, also with an average score of 105, and 24% reaching the higher bar. Writing had the highest expected rate at 80%, though only 17% hit the higher standard. These figures suggest solid, consistent teaching across the board, with maths and writing particularly strong relative to the national picture. The school’s overall ranking score of 66, based on the combined expected standard metric, places it in the top 50 tier nationally. Compared with its previous Ofsted inspection in 2009, when it was rated Requires Improvement, the school has clearly made sustained progress in academic outcomes over the past decade.

Rufford Park is a popular choice for local families: for the 2025/26 reception intake, the school received 124 applications for just 35 places, with an oversubscription ratio of 3.54. All 35 first-preference applicants were offered a place, but competition is fierce. The school offers nursery provision for younger children and caters for a range of special educational needs, including support for dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social and emotional needs, speech and language issues, and autistic spectrum disorder. Facilities include a sensory room, music rooms, an ICT suite, and a chapel, alongside an outdoor playground. Clubs range from gardening and eco club to coding, choir, film club and science club, while sports on offer include netball, tennis, athletics and gymnastics. For families seeking a well-subscribed state primary in Leeds with above-average academic outcomes and a broad extracurricular offer, Rufford Park is a strong contender.

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