Dean Valley Community Primary School

Dean Valley Community Primary School continues to demonstrate good performance since its last inspection. The school fosters a welcoming and supportive environment, where pupils exhibit commendable behavior and a strong sense of community. Leaders and staff are dedicated to ensuring effective educational outcomes for all students, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The curriculum is engaging and includes a wide range of activities that enrich pupils’ learning experiences beyond academics. However, there are areas for improvement, particularly regarding the clarity and sequencing of some subjects, which can lead to gaps in pupils' knowledge over time.

Strengths

• Pupils are polite, caring, and enjoy their learning environment.
• Strong emphasis on high expectations from leaders for all students.
• Effective curriculum design that connects knowledge with cultural experiences.
• Teachers deliver the curriculum well and know their pupils' needs.
• Reading is prioritized, with strong phonics instruction from an early age.
• Rigorous systems are in place to support pupils with SEND.
• Wealth of opportunities for wider interests, including music and sports.

Areas for Improvement

• Some subjects lack clear sequencing and clarity in curriculum content.
• Pupils occasionally struggle to remember past learning due to gaps in knowledge.

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 Dean Valley Community Primary School attended 97.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 4.0% 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, 0.5% of pupils at Dean Valley Community 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 Dean Valley Community Primary School had 22.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 16.1% of pupils at Dean Valley Community Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.0% 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 Dean Valley Community Primary School received £6,500 and spent £6,711 for each of its 199 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £50,000 (-£249 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 Macclesfield · Cheshire East local authority: places and applications

What is Dean Valley Community Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Dean Valley Community Primary School is Good, from an inspection in May 2023.

When was Dean Valley Community Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Dean Valley Community Primary School was last inspected in May 2023.

How many pupils does Dean Valley Community Primary School have?

Dean Valley Community Primary School has 199 pupils on roll.

What age range does Dean Valley Community Primary School cover?

Dean Valley Community Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Dean Valley Community Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 73% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Dean Valley Community Primary School?

Dean Valley Community Primary School is at Albert Road, Bollington, Macclesfield, Cheshire, SK10 5HS.