Squirrel Hayes First School

About Squirrel Hayes First School

Squirrel Hayes First School holds a Good rating from Ofsted, a grade it has maintained consistently across its two most recent inspections. The most recent ungraded inspection in 2024 confirmed the school remains Good, following a full graded inspection in 2018 that awarded Good for overall effectiveness, leadership and management, and early years provision. With just 61 pupils on roll against a capacity of 150, the school is small and intimate, but it is also oversubscribed: for the 2025/26 intake, it received 18 applications for 9 places, all of which went to first-preference families. That oversubscription ratio of 2:1 suggests strong local demand. The school serves a community with above-average disadvantage — 37.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals — yet Ofsted has judged its early years provision as Good, indicating solid foundations from the start.

Academic outcomes data for Squirrel Hayes is limited, as the school covers only Reception through Year 4 (ages 3-9), meaning it does not sit Key Stage 2 SATs. Without KS2 results, there is no direct comparison to the Staffordshire local authority average of 65% meeting the expected standard. However, the Ofsted inspection report from 2018 noted that pupils make good progress across the curriculum, and the school’s Good rating for quality of education (implied by the overall effectiveness grade) suggests teaching is effective. The school’s small size means results can fluctuate year to year, but the consistent Ofsted judgement over a decade — Good in 2014 and Good again in 2018 and 2024 — points to stable leadership under headteacher Erica Pickford. For parents wanting a clearer academic benchmark, the nearest Outstanding-rated school is Knypersley First School, just 1 km away.

The school offers a range of facilities including a sensory room, ICT suite, library, music rooms, and a chapel, which is unusual for a state primary and hints at a reflective, inclusive ethos. Sports provision covers dance, gymnastics, cross country, and football, while clubs extend to drama, book club, choir, film club, and gardening — a broad offer for such a small school. SEND support is available for moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, and speech, language and communication needs. With nursery provision on site, it suits families looking for continuity from age 3 through to Year 4, after which pupils would typically move to a middle school. The high FSM rate and oversubscription suggest a school that is both inclusive and valued locally, though parents should factor in the transition at age 9 when considering the full primary journey.

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