Excalibur Primary School

Excalibur Primary School has been rated as 'Good' overall, with notable strengths in behaviour, which is outstanding, and early years provision, also rated as outstanding. The school has high expectations for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), ensuring that most achieve well. Relationships between staff and pupils are strong, contributing to a positive and safe school environment where pupils feel valued and heard. This marks the school's first inspection since becoming an academy, following a significant gap in routine inspections due to legal exemptions.

Strengths

• Excellent behaviour and positive relationships between staff and pupils.
• Outstanding early years provision that prepares children exceptionally well for key stage 1.
• Strong subject knowledge among most staff, leading to effective curriculum design.
• Rigorous approach to teaching reading that fosters fluency and confidence in pupils.
• Excellent attitudes to learning that contribute to a productive classroom environment.
• Strong support for staff well-being and workload management.

Areas for Improvement

• In some subjects, staff lack clarity on essential knowledge and how to teach it effectively.
• Opportunities for pupils to revisit and consolidate essential skills and vocabulary are sometimes insufficient.

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 Excalibur Primary School attended 96.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 4.3% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Excalibur 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 Excalibur Primary School had 27.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 19.8% 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, 11.6% of pupils at Excalibur Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.9% 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 Excalibur Primary School received £6,246 and spent £6,278 for each of its 251 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £100,000 (£400 per pupil).

Across all 5 schools of Chancery Multi Academy Trust, income was £6,291 and spending £6,119 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 Stoke-On-Trent · Cheshire East local authority: places and applications

Excalibur Primary School is part of Chancery Multi Academy Trust, which runs 5 schools. The nearest others:

• Pikemere School Alsager
• Elworth Hall Primary School Sandbach
• The Berkeley Academy Crewe
• Willaston Primary Academy Nantwich

What is Excalibur Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Excalibur Primary School is Good, from an inspection in November 2023.

When was Excalibur Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Excalibur Primary School was last inspected in November 2023.

How many pupils does Excalibur Primary School have?

Excalibur Primary School has 242 pupils on roll.

What age range does Excalibur Primary School cover?

Excalibur Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 84% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Excalibur Primary School?

Excalibur Primary School is at Ivy Lane, Alsager, Stoke-on-Trent, Cheshire, ST7 2RQ.