Smallwood CofE Primary School

Smallwood CofE Primary School is performing well, continuing to maintain its good status from previous inspections. The school fosters a warm and inclusive environment where pupils feel like part of a family, contributing positively to their engagement and overall achievement. With a robust curriculum, most pupils are able to meet high expectations and learn effectively, largely due to strong support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and a commitment to enriching educational experiences outside the classroom. However, there are areas of concern regarding the fluency of written communication skills and multiplication knowledge among some pupils, indicating that further support is needed in these fundamental areas.

Strengths

• Strong relationships between staff and pupils create a nurturing environment.
• The curriculum is ambitious and well designed, aiding effective learning.
• Pupils with SEND learn effectively and achieve well.
• High levels of pupil engagement and positive attitudes towards learning.
• Strong support for early reading and phonics, helping children develop confidence.
• Effective personal development opportunities, including roles in the eco-committee and school council.

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils have weaknesses in written communication skills.
• Lack of fluency with multiplication facts goes unchecked for some pupils.
• Recent curriculum changes in a few subjects have led to difficulties linking earlier learning with new content.

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 Smallwood CofE Primary School attended 95.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.3% 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, 1.1% of pupils at Smallwood 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 Smallwood CofE Primary School had 17.8 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, 17.4% of pupils at Smallwood 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 2024–25 Smallwood CofE Primary School received £6,475 and spent £6,290 for each of its 183 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £92,000 (£503 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 Sandbach · Cheshire East local authority: places and applications

What is Smallwood CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Smallwood CofE Primary School is Good, from an inspection in September 2024.

When was Smallwood CofE Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Smallwood CofE Primary School was last inspected in September 2024.

How many pupils does Smallwood CofE Primary School have?

Smallwood CofE Primary School has 178 pupils on roll.

What age range does Smallwood CofE Primary School cover?

Smallwood CofE Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 43% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Smallwood CofE Primary School?

Smallwood CofE Primary School is at School Lane, Sandbach, CW11 2UR.