Hungerford Primary Academy

Hungerford Primary Academy is a primary school in Crewe and part of the St Bart’s Multi Academy Trust. Following an inspection in March 2025, it was judged good in all key areas: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. This is a notable improvement from its previous requires improvement grade, although under current arrangements the school does not receive an overall effectiveness grade. The school also has a specially resourced provision for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs. Pupils are described as happy, safe and well supported, and they behave well in lessons. The school is ambitious, identifies and supports pupils with SEND well, and provides a curriculum that takes account of the local area. Reading is a particular strength, with a sharp focus from Nursery through key stage 1, and children in the early years benefit from purposeful activities that prepare them for Year 1. Attendance is a high priority, personal development is carefully designed, and staff value the support they receive. The main areas for improvement are writing and curriculum depth. Pupils do not develop writing accuracy, fluency and stamina well enough to write at length across subjects. In some subjects, the curriculum also lacks enough opportunities for pupils to extend and deepen their knowledge, meaning some do not gain the depth of understanding they could. Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, safe and well supported by staff
• The school is ambitious for its pupils and expects them to work hard
• Pupils with SEND are identified quickly and supported well, including in the specially resourced provision
• The curriculum is carefully designed and takes account of the local area
• Strong phonics and reading provision helps many pupils become confident readers by the end of Year 2
• Pupils behave well and respond positively to behaviour support systems
• Attendance is a high priority, with effective processes for challenging absence
• Personal development is carefully designed to help pupils be healthy and safe
• Pupil leadership roles such as well-being ambassadors and reading leaders are meaningful
• Staff appreciate support for workload and well-being
• Trustees and the local governing body fulfil their statutory duties
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils do not build writing knowledge and fluency well enough to write at length
• Teachers do not emphasise accurate and fluent writing strongly enough across the curriculum
• In some subjects, the curriculum does not provide enough opportunities for pupils to extend and deepen their knowledge
• Some pupils do not gain the depth of understanding they could because curriculum depth is limited

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 Hungerford Primary Academy attended 94.9% 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, 0.5% of pupils at Hungerford 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 Hungerford Primary Academy had 20.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 5.5% 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, 15.3% of pupils at Hungerford Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.2% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has resourced provision with 7 pupils.

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 Hungerford Primary Academy received £6,765 and spent £6,825 for each of its 371 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £257,000 (£693 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 Crewe · Cheshire East local authority: places and applications

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

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

What is Hungerford Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Hungerford Primary Academy is Good, from an inspection in April 2025.

When was Hungerford Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Hungerford Primary Academy was last inspected in April 2025.

How many pupils does Hungerford Primary Academy have?

Hungerford Primary Academy has 373 pupils on roll.

What age range does Hungerford Primary Academy cover?

Hungerford Primary Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

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

Where is Hungerford Primary Academy?

Hungerford Primary Academy is at School Crescent, Crewe, CW1 5HA.