Leighton Academy

Leighton Academy has shown considerable improvement since its last inspection, moving from a previous grade of requires improvement to a current rating of good. Pupils are reported to be happy and safe, with a strong support system in place for any concerns they may have. The leadership team has high expectations for both academic achievement and behavior, and the school offers numerous extracurricular activities to enhance student engagement and development. However, while most pupils achieve well, there are areas in early years and key stage 1 where learning does not systematically build on knowledge over time.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy and safe at school.
• Leaders have high expectations for pupils’ learning and behaviour.
• A purposeful and interesting curriculum is in place.
• Effective training for staff leads to well-taught phonics.
• Strong support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
• Pupils benefit from a wide range of after-school activities.

Areas for Improvement

• In a few classes, teachers do not design learning that builds on knowledge securely.
• Some teachers do not routinely check pupils’ understanding, leading 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 Leighton Academy attended 93.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 14.0% 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, 1.5% of pupils at Leighton Academy 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 Leighton Academy had 23.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.9% 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, 15.2% of pupils at Leighton Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.4% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has a SEN unit with 13 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 2024–25 Leighton Academy received £6,955 and spent £7,296 for each of its 438 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £281,000 (£642 per pupil).

Across all 15 schools of The Learning Partnership Academies Trust, income was £7,536 and spending £7,682 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 Crewe · Cheshire East local authority: places and applications

Leighton Academy is part of The Learning Partnership Academies Trust, which runs 15 schools. The nearest others:

• Crewe Engineering and Design UTC Crewe
• Cheshire Studio School Crewe
• The Oaks Academy Crewe
• Sir William Stanier School Crewe
• Wistaston Church Lane Academy Crewe
• Shavington Primary School Crewe
• Wheelock Primary School Sandbach
• Dove Bank Primary School Stoke-On-Trent
• Congleton High School Congleton
• Black Firs Primary School Congleton

What is Leighton Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Leighton Academy is Good, from an inspection in May 2023.

When was Leighton Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Leighton Academy was last inspected in May 2023.

How many pupils does Leighton Academy have?

Leighton Academy has 467 pupils on roll.

What age range does Leighton Academy cover?

Leighton Academy for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Leighton Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 63% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Leighton Academy?

Leighton Academy is at Minshull New Road, Crewe, Cheshire, CW1 3PP.