Stapeley Broad Lane CofE Primary School

Stapeley Broad Lane CofE Primary School is a good school overall, with outstanding behaviour and attitudes and outstanding personal development. Pupils are proud of their school, conduct themselves exceptionally well, and benefit from a broad and ambitious curriculum that has been strengthened considerably. Early reading and phonics are prioritised effectively, pupils with SEND are well supported, and attendance is good. The school also provides extensive opportunities in music, the arts, leadership and residential visits. The main area for improvement is that in a small number of subjects, including some aspects of early years, the essential knowledge and skills are not as clearly defined as in other areas. This can limit how well some pupils learn in those subjects. Safeguarding is effective, and governance and trust support are strong. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and it had not been inspected under section 5 since January 2015 because it was previously judged outstanding and was exempt from routine inspection. The school is now part of the Cornovii Trust and has a new headteacher and deputy headteachers since the previous inspection.

Strengths

• Pupils are very proud of their school and demonstrate exemplary behaviour.
• Pupils are extremely polite, courteous and supportive of one another.
• The school has high expectations for all pupils, including those with SEND.
• Early reading and phonics are prioritised effectively from Reception.
• The curriculum is broad, ambitious and tailored to make meaningful local connections.
• Pupils with SEND are identified effectively and progress well through the curriculum.
• Personal development is exceptional, including PSHE, British values and the arts.
• Pupils benefit from music, clubs, visits and residential opportunities.
• Attendance is prioritised and pupils attend well.
• Governance is strong, and staff feel valued and well supported by the trust.

Areas for Improvement

• In a small number of subjects, the essential knowledge and skills pupils must learn are not clearly defined.
• Some aspects of the early years curriculum lack clearly defined essential learning, which can limit how well some pupils learn.

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 Stapeley Broad Lane CofE Primary School attended 95.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.6% 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 Stapeley Broad Lane CofE 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 Stapeley Broad Lane CofE Primary School had 23.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 20.2% 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, 13.8% of pupils at Stapeley Broad Lane CofE Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.7% 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 2023–24 Stapeley Broad Lane CofE Primary School received £6,750 and spent £7,100 for each of its 215 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £19,000 (-£90 per pupil).

Across all 7 schools of The Cornovii Trust, income was £7,089 and spending £7,073 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Nantwich · Cheshire East local authority: places and applications

Stapeley Broad Lane CofE Primary School is part of The Cornovii Trust, which runs 8 schools. The nearest others:

• Brine Leas School Nantwich
• Pear Tree Primary School Nantwich
• Malbank School and Sixth Form College Nantwich
• Audlem St James' CofE Primary School Crewe
• Weston Village Primary School Crewe
• Alsager School Stoke-On-Trent
• Alsager Highfields Community Primary School Stoke-On-Trent

What is Stapeley Broad Lane CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Stapeley Broad Lane CofE Primary School is Good, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was Stapeley Broad Lane CofE Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Stapeley Broad Lane CofE Primary School was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does Stapeley Broad Lane CofE Primary School have?

Stapeley Broad Lane CofE Primary School has 232 pupils on roll.

What age range does Stapeley Broad Lane CofE Primary School cover?

Stapeley Broad Lane CofE Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Stapeley Broad Lane CofE Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 45% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Stapeley Broad Lane CofE Primary School?

Stapeley Broad Lane CofE Primary School is at Broad Lane, Stapeley, Nantwich, Cheshire, CW5 7QL.