Ash Grove Academy

Ash Grove Academy has showcased exceptional performance across all domains, achieving an overall effectiveness rating of outstanding. This is the school's first inspection since it opened as an academy, following a previous successful evaluation of Ash Grove Primary and Nursery School. The school has cultivated a nurturing environment, with pupils expressing high levels of happiness and engagement in their learning. The curriculum is ambitious and effectively adapted to support all learners, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Strengths

• Exceptional quality of education across all subjects
• Outstanding behaviour and conduct of pupils
• Effective strategies for supporting pupils with SEND
• High levels of pupil engagement and happiness
• Strong emphasis on personal development and leadership opportunities
• Successful reduction in persistent absence rates

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 Ash Grove Academy attended 94.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 10.4% 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 Ash Grove 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 Ash Grove Academy had 16.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 19.9% 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, 18.5% of pupils at Ash Grove Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 7.5% 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 Ash Grove Academy received £7,385 and spent £7,400 for each of its 217 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £167,000 (£772 per pupil).

Across all 13 schools of The Aspire Educational Trust, income was £6,867 and spending £6,913 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 Macclesfield · Cheshire East local authority: places and applications

Ash Grove Academy is part of The Aspire Educational Trust, which runs 13 schools. The nearest others:

• Ivy Bank Primary School Macclesfield
• Parkroyal Community School Macclesfield
• Hollinhey Primary School Macclesfield
• Puss Bank School and Nursery Macclesfield
• Hurdsfield Community Primary School and Nursery Macclesfield
• The Wilmslow Academy Wilmslow
• Peover Superior Endowed Primary School Knutsford
• Holmes Chapel Primary School Crewe
• Sandbach Primary Academy Sandbach
• Wilbraham Primary School Manchester

What is Ash Grove Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Ash Grove Academy is Outstanding, from an inspection in June 2024.

When was Ash Grove Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Ash Grove Academy was last inspected in June 2024.

How many pupils does Ash Grove Academy have?

Ash Grove Academy has 227 pupils on roll.

What age range does Ash Grove Academy cover?

Ash Grove Academy for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Ash Grove Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

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

Where is Ash Grove Academy?

Ash Grove Academy is at Belgrave Road, Macclesfield, Cheshire, SK11 7TF.