Offley Primary Academy

Offley Primary Academy is a good school across all inspected areas, maintaining the good judgement from its previous inspection. Pupils are proud to attend, feel safe and listened to, and show polite, respectful behaviour. The school has high expectations for all pupils, including those with SEND, and has worked hard to raise achievement after expectations were not always realised well until recently. It is part of St. Bart’s Multi-Academy Trust and has had a new principal and two vice-principals since the last inspection; under the current framework, no overall effectiveness grade is given. The curriculum has been redesigned and is now broad, balanced and ambitious. Staff benefit from regular training and trust collaboration, and pupils achieve well, particularly in English and mathematics. Reading is a clear strength: phonics is taught effectively from Reception, books are well matched to pupils’ sounds, and older pupils enjoy reading. Pupils with SEND are identified quickly and supported to access the full curriculum. Personal development is well thought through, with strong PSHE, online safety, leadership opportunities and high attendance. Inspectors identified two main areas for improvement. In some subjects, assessment strategies are at an early stage, so staff do not always identify gaps in pupils’ knowledge caused by previous curriculum weaknesses and adapt their teaching accordingly. In several subjects, links between early years learning and key stage 1 are not clear enough, meaning children are less well prepared to build on their learning in Year 1.

Strengths

• Broad and ambitious redesigned curriculum for all pupils, including those with SEND
• Pupils achieve well, particularly in English and mathematics
• Reading is a priority, with effective phonics teaching and well-matched books
• Staff receive regular training and benefit from collaboration across the trust
• Pupils with SEND are identified quickly and supported to access all aspects of school life
• Personal development is well planned, including PSHE, online safety and mental health lessons
• Pupils have many leadership opportunities and take pride in their responsibilities
• Behaviour and attitudes are strong, and pupils are polite and respectful
• Attendance is high and pupils behave well at social times
• Early years children achieve well and display positive learning behaviours
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective
• Trustees and governors support and challenge the school appropriately and consider staff workload

Areas for Improvement

• Assessment strategies are at an early stage in some subjects, so staff do not consistently identify gaps in pupils’ learning
• Staff are not always able to adapt teaching to address gaps caused by weaknesses in previous curriculums
• In several subjects, links between early years learning and key stage 1 are not clear enough
• Children are less well prepared for learning in some subjects when they enter Year 1

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 Offley Primary Academy attended 96.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 4.9% 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, 0.9% of pupils at Offley Primary Academy 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 Offley Primary Academy had 23.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 11.9% 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, 10.4% of pupils at Offley Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.5% 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 Offley Primary Academy received £5,970 and spent £6,556 for each of its 438 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £635,000 (£1,451 per pupil).

Across all 23 schools of St Bart'S Multi Academy Trust, income was £7,493 and spending £7,753 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 Sandbach · Cheshire East local authority: places and applications

Offley Primary Academy is part of St Bart'S Multi Academy Trust, which runs 23 schools. The nearest others:

• Cranberry Academy Alsager
• Hungerford Primary Academy Crewe
• St Michael's Community Academy Crewe
• St Saviour's CofE Academy Stoke-On-Trent
• Nantwich Primary Academy Nantwich
• Saint Nathaniel's Academy Stoke-On-Trent
• Knutton St Marys CofE Academy Newcastle Under Lyme
• St John's CofE Primary Academy Newcastle
• Kingsland CofE Academy Stoke-On-Trent
• Stoke Minster CofE Primary Academy Stoke-On-Trent

What is Offley Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Offley Primary Academy is Good, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was Offley Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Offley Primary Academy was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Offley Primary Academy have?

Offley Primary Academy has 454 pupils on roll.

What age range does Offley Primary Academy cover?

Offley Primary Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Offley Primary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

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

Where is Offley Primary Academy?

Offley Primary Academy is at Offley Road, Sandbach, Cheshire, CW11 1GY.