Hermitage Primary School

Hermitage Primary School is performing well overall, achieving a 'Good' grade in overall effectiveness and leadership, while demonstrating outstanding behaviour, attitudes, and personal development. The school has made significant strides since it became an academy in 2014, and this marks the first routine inspection since the pandemic. Pupils exhibit pride in their school, engage enthusiastically in a variety of experiences, and contribute positively to the community, reflecting the school’s high expectations and ambitious vision for all students, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Strengths

• Pupils demonstrate exceptionally high standards of behaviour.
• The quality of personal development is outstanding.
• The school has a well-structured curriculum that builds knowledge logically.
• Reading is a strong focus, with effective phonics instruction.
• Teachers are quick to address misconceptions and support learning.
• The school engages well with parents and the community.

Areas for Improvement

• Some subjects lack clarity in essential knowledge, leading to gaps in learning.
• Communication with some parents of pupils with SEND could be improved.

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 Hermitage Primary School attended 96.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 6.6% 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, 1.9% of pupils at Hermitage 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 Hermitage Primary School had 21.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 28.8% 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, 10.2% of pupils at Hermitage Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.3% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has resourced provision with 6 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 Hermitage Primary School received £6,756 and spent £7,010 for each of its 209 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £150,000 (£718 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.

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

What is Hermitage Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Hermitage Primary School is Good, from an inspection in November 2023.

When was Hermitage Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Hermitage Primary School was last inspected in November 2023.

How many pupils does Hermitage Primary School have?

Hermitage Primary School has 206 pupils on roll.

What age range does Hermitage Primary School cover?

Hermitage Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Hermitage Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 60% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Hermitage Primary School?

Hermitage Primary School is at Hermitage Drive, Holmes Chapel, Crewe, Cheshire, CW4 7NP.