Cranberry Academy

Cranberry Academy is a larger-than-average primary school within St Bart’s Multi Academy Trust. Following this full section 5 inspection, the school is judged to be performing at a strong standard overall: personal development and wellbeing is a significant strength, safeguarding standards are met, and the other inspected areas—achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, early years, inclusion, and leadership and governance—are at the expected standard. Pupils are happy, safe and well cared for, behave well, attend in line with national averages, and benefit from an ambitious curriculum, strong pastoral support and a wide range of enrichment and leadership opportunities. Notable strengths include the carefully planned personal development programme, inclusive provision that removes barriers for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND, and effective leadership that is well supported by the trust. However, there are clear concerns around outcomes for disadvantaged pupils, who achieve below disadvantaged pupils nationally, and some pupils at the early stages of reading and writing do not receive enough precise teaching and practice. In a small number of subjects, teaching does not consistently build on prior learning or address misconceptions, particularly affecting some disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND. Early years writing also lacks precision, and monitoring and governance quality assurance are not always sharp enough, occasionally leading to overly positive evaluations.

Strengths

• Personal development and wellbeing is a significant strength, with a carefully planned programme that prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain.
• Fundamental British values are woven throughout the curriculum and wider school experiences.
• Pupils are reflective, behave with integrity and show genuine respect for others.
• The personal, social and health education curriculum is well sequenced, age-appropriate and responsive to pupils’ needs.
• Pupils have a mature understanding of healthy relationships, equality, online safety and emerging technologies.
• Personal development opportunities are inclusive, with barriers removed for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND.
• Pastoral support is highly effective and caring, with positive relationships evident throughout the school.
• Pupils behave well in lessons and at breaktimes, and bullying or unkind behaviour is dealt with quickly and effectively.
• Attendance is in line with the national average, and leaders act effectively to improve it.
• The curriculum is ambitious and sequenced to build on prior learning, and teachers typically match learning to pupils’ needs.
• Early years provision is well led, with a well-designed curriculum and children who are happy, settled and eager to learn.
• Inclusion is effective: pupils’ needs are identified quickly, The Oasis provides skilled support, and mid-year joiners settle well.
• Leadership and governance are effective, with a positive culture, supportive trust engagement and comprehensive staff development.
• Safeguarding standards are met, and pupils feel safe.
• Pupils benefit from a wide range of clubs, leadership roles, trips, sporting events and outdoor learning.

Areas for Improvement

• Disadvantaged pupils do not achieve as well as disadvantaged pupils nationally.
• Pupils at the early stages of reading and writing, including some with SEND and some who are disadvantaged, do not get enough precise teaching and practice.
• In a small number of subjects, teaching is not consistently matched to pupils’ needs, including for some disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND.
• In some subjects, teachers do not consistently build on what pupils already know or address misconceptions.
• Some pupils with SEND or who are disadvantaged are not as well prepared for the next stage of education as they could be.
• Early years writing teaching sometimes lacks precision, and children have insufficient opportunity to practise letter formation.
• Monitoring and evaluation processes are not always precise, so leaders’ evaluation of some aspects can be more positive than the evidence supports.
• Governance and trust quality assurance in specific aspects of school development are not consistently robust.

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 Cranberry Academy attended 96.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 5.5% 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, 0.9% of pupils at Cranberry 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 Cranberry Academy had 20.2 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, 14.5% of pupils at Cranberry Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.8% 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 2024–25 Cranberry Academy received £5,744 and spent £5,643 for each of its 446 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £414,000 (£929 per pupil).

Across all 23 schools of St Bart'S Multi Academy Trust, income was £7,493 and spending £7,753 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 Cheshire East · Cheshire East local authority: places and applications

Cranberry Academy is part of St Bart'S Multi Academy Trust, which runs 23 schools. The nearest others:

• St Saviour's CofE Academy Stoke-On-Trent
• Offley Primary Academy Sandbach
• Hungerford Primary Academy Crewe
• St Michael's Community Academy Crewe
• Saint Nathaniel's Academy Stoke-On-Trent
• Knutton St Marys CofE Academy Newcastle Under Lyme
• St John's CofE Primary Academy Newcastle
• Nantwich Primary Academy Nantwich
• Stoke Minster CofE Primary Academy Stoke-On-Trent
• Kingsland CofE Academy Stoke-On-Trent

What is Cranberry Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Cranberry Academy is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Cranberry Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Cranberry Academy was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Cranberry Academy have?

Cranberry Academy has 434 pupils on roll.

What age range does Cranberry Academy cover?

Cranberry Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

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

Where is Cranberry Academy?

Cranberry Academy is at Cranberry Lane, Alsager, Cranberry Academy, Cheshire, ST7 2LE.