Hursthead Infant School

Hursthead Infant School demonstrates overall good performance with notable strengths in personal development, which is rated as outstanding. The school has a strong focus on academic achievement and prioritizes the well-being and wider development of its pupils. Students typically achieve well throughout the curriculum, and parents and staff report positively on the supportive and caring environment that the school fosters, making it feel like a family. This is the school's first inspection in 15 years since it was last rated outstanding, and there have been changes in the school community since that time, particularly after being exempted from routine inspections until November 2020.

Strengths

• High expectations for pupils' academic achievement.
• Strong understanding of pupils' emotions and well-being.
• Well-structured curriculum that prepares pupils for key stage 2.
• Supportive environment where staff care about students.
• Effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
• Strong emphasis on mental and physical well-being.
• Consistent and fair application of behaviour policy.
• Opportunities for pupils to take on roles of responsibility.

Areas for Improvement

• In a few subjects, teachers lack clarity on essential knowledge needed for subsequent learning.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Hursthead Infant School attended 97.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 4.6% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.0% of pupils at Hursthead Infant School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Hursthead Infant School had 20.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 4.5% of pupils at Hursthead Infant School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.8% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Hursthead Infant School received £6,127 and spent £6,214 for each of its 244 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £116,000 (£477 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Cheadle · Stockport local authority: places and applications

What is Hursthead Infant School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Hursthead Infant School is Good, from an inspection in January 2024.

When was Hursthead Infant School last inspected by Ofsted?

Hursthead Infant School was last inspected in January 2024.

How many pupils does Hursthead Infant School have?

Hursthead Infant School has 244 pupils on roll.

What age range does Hursthead Infant School cover?

Hursthead Infant School for pupils aged 4 to 7.

Where is Hursthead Infant School?

Hursthead Infant School is at Kirkstead Road, Cheadle Hulme, Cheadle, Cheshire, SK8 7PZ.