Firs Primary School

Firs Primary School is a strong, inclusive primary where pupils are highly motivated and behaviour is exemplary. Inspectors found exceptional provision for behaviour and attitudes, personal development and early years, with a calm and industrious atmosphere, strong pastoral care, high expectations and a rich wider offer made available to all pupils, including those with SEND. Pupils benefit from an ambitious curriculum, extensive reading opportunities, effective staff training and committed governance, and safeguarding is effective. The school was previously judged outstanding and had been exempt from routine inspection; this graded inspection took place under the framework in which no overall effectiveness grade is awarded. While provision is strong overall, the report identifies two clear areas for improvement. In a minority of key stage 1 and 2 subjects, leaders have not clearly identified the important knowledge and skills pupils should learn, so staff are not fully clear what to teach and pupils develop gaps. In addition, a few pupils do not receive regular opportunities to practise reading, which slows their progress in reading fluency and can limit their access to the wider curriculum. The report otherwise highlights strong SEND inclusion, attendance support and preparation for life in modern Britain.

Strengths

• Exemplary pupil behaviour and a calm, industrious atmosphere throughout the school.
• Outstanding personal development that prepares pupils exceptionally well for life in modern Britain.
• Outstanding early years provision where children get off to a flying start.
• Strong pastoral support that helps pupils feel safe and ready to learn.
• An ambitious, broad and balanced curriculum aligned with the national curriculum.
• Relevant training and coaching that develop staff skills and subject knowledge in most subjects.
• Regular retrieval practice and swift identification of misconceptions in many subjects.
• An extensive reading culture with library visits, daily story time and carefully selected diverse books.
• Targeted support for pupils who struggle with reading, including those who speak English as an additional language.
• Quick identification of additional needs and skilful adaptations that fully include pupils with SEND.
• High attendance is prioritised, with effective support for families who need it.
• Rich trips, clubs and sporting competitions offered to all pupils, including those with SEND.
• Governors fulfil their statutory duties well and staff value support for their well-being and workload.
• Effective safeguarding arrangements.

Areas for Improvement

• In a minority of key stage 1 and 2 subjects, the important knowledge and skills pupils should learn are not clearly set out, leaving teachers unclear and causing gaps in pupils' knowledge.
• A few pupils do not receive regular opportunities to practise reading, which hinders their reading fluency and access to the wider curriculum.

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 Firs Primary School attended 94.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 17.3% 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, 0.3% of pupils at Firs Primary 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 Firs Primary School had 19.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 6.7% 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, 11.9% of pupils at Firs Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 7.4% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has a SEN unit with 20 pupils.

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 Firs Primary School received £7,756 and spent £8,009 for each of its 534 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £66,000 (£124 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).

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What is Firs Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Firs Primary School is Good, from an inspection in September 2025.

When was Firs Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Firs Primary School was last inspected in September 2025.

How many pupils does Firs Primary School have?

Firs Primary School has 540 pupils on roll.

What age range does Firs Primary School cover?

Firs Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Firs Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 72% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Firs Primary School?

Firs Primary School is at Firs Road, Sale, Cheshire, M33 5EL.