Acorns Primary School

Acorns Primary is a small, family-feel school that inspectors found to be performing securely overall, with safeguarding arrangements met and no inspected area falling below the standard expected of it. Pupils are happy, behave very well and attend broadly in line with national averages. They benefit from a broad, well-sequenced curriculum, strong inclusive practice and effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and disadvantaged pupils. Early years provision is a notable strength, with children making secure progress and most being ready for Year 1, and the personal development programme is well considered and rooted in the school’s community values. Leadership is accurate and caring, and leaders are well supported by the local academy council and the Stour Federation Multi-Academy Trust. Staff value the professional learning and wellbeing support they receive, and most parents are positive about the school’s care and family focus. The main areas for improvement are the consistency and precision of phonics teaching and mathematics attainment, particularly by the end of key stage 2. The report also notes that disadvantaged pupils’ mathematics attainment is below national and shows a substantial gap. Leaders are seen as capable of addressing these priorities through sharper analysis and more consistent implementation.

Strengths

• Happy, family-friendly school with strong pastoral care and positive relationships
• Pupils behave very well and bullying is rare and swiftly dealt with
• Attendance is typically at national averages, including for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND
• Broad, balanced and well-sequenced curriculum
• Staff have secure subject knowledge and explain concepts clearly
• Strong inclusive practice and effective support for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils
• Effective early years provision with secure progress and strong parental partnerships
• Well-considered personal development programme, including RSHE, careers and community values
• Accurate, caring leadership well supported by governance and trust
• Staff value professional learning and support for their wellbeing
• Parents are largely supportive and appreciate the school’s care and family focus

Areas for Improvement

• Phonics teaching is not consistently precise across the school
• Mathematics attainment is not consistently high by the end of key stage 2
• Disadvantaged pupils’ mathematics attainment is below national and shows a substantial gap
• Pupils could know and remember more, particularly in mathematics
• Leaders could use sharper, more precise analysis to accelerate improvement

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 Acorns Primary School attended 94.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 10.5% 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, 1.0% of pupils at Acorns 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 Acorns Primary School had 18.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 58.3% 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, 20.6% of pupils at Acorns Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.2% 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 Acorns Primary School received £7,877 and spent £7,969 for each of its 103 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £184,000 (£1,784 per pupil).

Across all 5 schools of The Stour Federation, income was £7,133 and spending £7,171 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 Stratford-On-Avon · Warwickshire local authority: places and applications

Acorns Primary School is part of The Stour Federation, which runs 5 schools. The nearest others:

• Brailes Church of England Primary School Banbury
• Shipston-on-Stour Primary School Shipston-On-Stour
• Kineton Church of England Primary School Warwick
• Wilmcote C of E Primary School Stratford-Upon-Avon

What is Acorns Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Acorns Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was Acorns Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Acorns Primary School was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does Acorns Primary School have?

Acorns Primary School has 97 pupils on roll.

What age range does Acorns Primary School cover?

Acorns Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 55% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Acorns Primary School?

Acorns Primary School is at School Close, Long Compton, Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire, CV36 5LA.