High Legh Primary School

High Legh Primary School is a small, nurturing primary where pupils are happy, feel safe and attend regularly. The inspection found the school meeting the expected standard in every evaluated area, including achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, early years, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development. Safeguarding standards are met. Early years is a particular strength, and pupils benefit from a well-sequenced curriculum, improved phonics, caring staff, strong inclusion and a broad extra-curricular offer. Leaders and governors know the school well, support staff well and have high aspirations. Pupils behave well, are respectful and take on leadership roles, and disadvantaged pupils are included in trips and wider school life. The school is not graded exceptional or strong in any domain, but it is securely fulfilling expected standards. The main area for development is consistency beyond English and mathematics: in a few subjects, pupils do not always get enough opportunity to deepen their knowledge. Some pupils' understanding of equalities is also not detailed. Published performance data shows disadvantaged pupils' combined reading, writing and mathematics attainment, and mathematics attainment specifically, below national averages with large gaps, although leaders' support is having a positive impact.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, feel safe and benefit from a nurturing community school.
• Attendance is close to the national average and persistent absence is low.
• Pupils behave well, are polite and respectful, and lessons run smoothly.
• Early years provision gives children a flying start and prepares them well for key stage 1.
• Phonics teaching has improved and most pupils read fluently with books matched to known sounds.
• The curriculum is well sequenced and enriched by visits and workshops.
• Staff receive high-quality professional development and typically use secure subject knowledge.
• Inclusion is a priority, with effective support for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils.
• Leaders and governors provide strong strategic oversight and rigorous safeguarding monitoring.
• Personal development and extra-curricular opportunities are broad, including sports, music and leadership roles.
• Pupils develop empathy and citizenship through charity fundraising and community projects.
• Safeguarding standards are met with an open culture of safeguarding.

Areas for Improvement

• In a few subjects beyond English and mathematics, pupils do not have enough opportunities to deepen their knowledge and apply learning to new contexts.
• Leaders should ensure subjects other than English and mathematics are taught consistently well.
• Some pupils' knowledge about equalities, including different types of relationships, is not detailed.
• Disadvantaged pupils' attainment in combined reading, writing and mathematics, and in mathematics specifically, is below national averages with large disadvantage gaps.
• Recent Year 4 multiplication check outcomes have been less strong, though leaders have taken sensible steps to address this.

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 High Legh Primary School attended 94.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 7.9% 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, 1.3% of pupils at High Legh 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 High Legh Primary School had 23.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 25.0% 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, 9.3% of pupils at High Legh Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.9% 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 High Legh Primary School received £6,563 and spent £6,548 for each of its 162 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £32,000 (-£200 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 Knutsford · Cheshire East local authority: places and applications

What is High Legh Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for High Legh Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was High Legh Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

High Legh Primary School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does High Legh Primary School have?

High Legh Primary School has 162 pupils on roll.

What age range does High Legh Primary School cover?

High Legh Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 58% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is High Legh Primary School?

High Legh Primary School is at Wrenshot Lane, High Legh, Knutsford, Cheshire, WA16 6NW.