Adlington Primary School

Adlington Primary School is a small, nurturing primary that inspectors found to be performing at an exceptionally high level across its education, behaviour, personal development, leadership and early years provision. This was its first routine section 5 inspection; the school converted to academy status in 2016, is part of the Halliard Trust, and has a relatively new headteacher and staff team. Inspectors noted that pupils are happy, safe and proud of their school, behave exceptionally well, and achieve very strongly across the curriculum, including pupils with SEND. The report highlights a highly ambitious curriculum, expert teaching and strong curriculum checking, with reading and phonics given particular priority from Reception. Pupils develop into confident, articulate and highly competent learners, and they benefit from an unusually rich enrichment programme and strong personal development provision. Relationships with families are a clear strength, and staff, governors and trustees are described as highly committed and well supported, including through trust training and attention to workload and well-being. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. No areas for improvement were identified in the report. The school is described as inspirational, with pupils making a tangible contribution to school life and being well prepared for the next stage of their education.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, safe and proud to belong to a small, nurturing school.
• Pupils behave exceptionally well in lessons and at social times.
• The curriculum is highly ambitious and carefully sequenced from Reception to Year 6.
• Teachers use exceptional resources and expert assessment to build pupils’ knowledge.
• Reading and phonics are taught with fidelity, helping pupils become confident and highly competent readers.
• Pupils, including those with SEND, meet the school’s high aspirations and achieve exceptionally well.
• The enrichment programme is broad and highly impressive, including clubs, trips and leadership roles.
• Personal development provision is excellent and helps pupils become exceptionally well-rounded.
• Relationships with parents and carers are strong, with families feeling closely involved.
• Staff receive high-quality training and support from across the trust, and leaders protect their workload and well-being.
• Governors and trustees fulfil their duties diligently and provide effective support and challenge.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

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 Adlington Primary School attended 97.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 3.6% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Adlington 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 Adlington Primary School had 19.4 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, 6.2% of pupils at Adlington 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 Adlington Primary School received £7,236 and spent £7,745 for each of its 92 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £3,000 (-£35 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

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

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

What is Adlington Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Adlington Primary School is Outstanding, from an inspection in February 2025.

When was Adlington Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Adlington Primary School was last inspected in February 2025.

How many pupils does Adlington Primary School have?

Adlington Primary School has 97 pupils on roll.

What age range does Adlington Primary School cover?

Adlington Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 73% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Adlington Primary School?

Adlington Primary School is at Brookledge Lane, Adlington, Macclesfield, Cheshire, SK10 4JX.