Nether Alderley Primary School

Nether Alderley Primary School is a small school within the Halliard multi-academy trust. Safeguarding standards are met, and the school is performing well overall, with early years and personal development judged as strong standard. Most other areas, including achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, and leadership and governance, are at the expected standard. Pupils achieve well, particularly in reading and mathematics by the end of key stage 2, and they benefit from an ambitious curriculum, strong pastoral support, and a wide range of enriching experiences. Behaviour is generally positive, attendance is broadly in line with national averages, and pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils typically progress well from their starting points. Leaders have a clear understanding of priorities and have taken effective action to improve attendance and mathematics knowledge. The early years provision is a notable strength, with reading and phonics taught consistently well and children exceedingly well prepared for key stage 1. Personal development is skilfully designed, helping pupils understand healthy relationships, equality, and life in modern Britain. The newly appointed governing board and trust leaders know the school well and provide effective support and challenge, while staff morale is positive and parents speak highly of the school. There are two main areas for further development. Leaders should ensure that all pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities have specific learning targets set and monitored thoroughly, and they should continue to support staff in helping pupils develop consistently high levels of self-discipline and dedication to learning. At times, behaviour for learning is less positive, with some pupils needing reminders to follow instructions and do their best, and support for pupils with SEND could be refined to align even more precisely with individual needs.

Strengths

• Ambitious and well-designed early years curriculum with strong transitions to key stage 1.
• Phonics and reading are taught consistently well, fostering a genuine love of books.
• Pupils achieve well, with high proportions meeting expected standards in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of key stage 2.
• Personal development is skilfully designed and broad, with extensive enrichment opportunities.
• Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain and have secure understanding of fundamental British values.
• Pastoral support is highly effective, and staff build warm, trusting relationships.
• Inclusion is effective, with pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils generally making suitable progress.
• Attendance is broadly in line with national averages and improving through targeted support.
• Behaviour expectations are high, staff model calmness and respect, and bullying is rare.
• The curriculum is ambitious, well-embedded and adapted effectively to address misconceptions.
• Leadership and governance are knowledgeable, with effective support and challenge from governors and trust leaders.
• Staff morale is positive, and professional development and wellbeing are well supported.
• Parents speak very positively about the school community.
• Safeguarding standards are met.
• Pupils benefit from a vast range of experiences, including music, theatre, trips, sports and clubs.

Areas for Improvement

• Not all pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities have specific learning targets set and monitored thoroughly enough.
• Behaviour for learning is sometimes less positive, with pupils needing more reminders to show self-discipline and follow instructions.
• Support for pupils with SEND could be refined to align even more precisely with their individual needs.
• Achievement in the Year 4 multiplication tables check has been varied over recent years, although leaders' actions have improved current pupils' depth of mathematics knowledge.

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 Nether Alderley Primary School attended 95.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 12.2% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Nether Alderley 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 Nether Alderley 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, 9.0% of pupils at Nether Alderley Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.5% 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 Nether Alderley Primary School received £7,775 and spent £7,961 for each of its 94 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £41,000 (£435 per pupil).

Across all 11 schools of Halliard Trust, income was £7,664 and spending £7,704 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

Nether Alderley Primary School is part of Halliard Trust, which runs 12 schools. The nearest others:

• Alderley Edge Community Primary School Alderley Edge
• Whirley Primary School Macclesfield
• The Fallibroome Academy Macclesfield
• Upton Priory School Macclesfield
• Broken Cross Primary Academy and Nursery Macclesfield
• Marlborough Primary School Macclesfield
• Gawsworth Primary School Macclesfield
• Adlington Primary School Macclesfield
• Lower Park School Stockport
• Eaton Bank Academy Congleton

What is Nether Alderley Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Nether Alderley Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Nether Alderley Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Nether Alderley Primary School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Nether Alderley Primary School have?

Nether Alderley Primary School has 89 pupils on roll.

What age range does Nether Alderley Primary School cover?

Nether Alderley Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 75% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Nether Alderley Primary School?

Nether Alderley Primary School is at Bradford Lane, Nether Alderley, Macclesfield, Cheshire, SK10 4TR.