School Chooser

Adlington Primary School

Primary · ages 4-11MixedAcademy97 pupilsMacclesfieldCheshire East
School Chooser Score
92
Well above
similar schools
Likely range 79 to 98
Out of 100. Better than 92% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedNo overall gradeLast Ofsted inspection, December 2024
Reached the expected level at 1173%England 63%
Attendance97.1%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families3%Far fewer than most schools
Places8 spare97 pupils, 105 places
Pupils per teacher19.4School workforce census

Adlington Primary School is a converter academy in Macclesfield for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 97 pupils and room for 105. About 3 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 92 out of 100. That puts it well above schools like it, ahead of 92% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2024, no overall grade.

Brookledge Lane, Adlington, Macclesfield, SK10 4JX01625 573201adlington.ht.schoolMrs Steph Swinson headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 17 December 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Not judged Between September 2024 and November 2025, Ofsted graded each area but stopped giving one overall word.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Outstanding
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Outstanding
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Outstanding
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Outstanding
Early years
Outstanding
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

15 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.

Reached the expected level at 1173%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level0%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score108.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score107.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 67%67%20172018: 79%79%20182019: 88%88%20192023: 87%87%20232024: 91%91%20242025: 73%73%2025
Since 2017: +6%Declining overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017Cheshire EastEngland
Pupils tested151115161415
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths73%91%87%88%79%67%65%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%18%0%0%14%7%7%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score108.0113.0110.0110.0110.0105.0106.2105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score107.0113.0108.0110.0111.0108.0105.1104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score109.0115.0112.0111.0111.0108.0106.0105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard80%91%93%94%86%73%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard87%91%100%94%93%93%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)93%91%87%88%79%73%
Reading progressReading progress score+3.2+5.1+6.2+1.2
Maths progressMaths progress score+2.0+4.4+6.9+4.6

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. None of the gaps is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
63%86%
Gap 23 ptsEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Catchment area

Cheshire East council has drawn an official catchment area for this school. You can see it on the map below; it covers about 16 square kilometres. Living inside it moves your child up the queue when there are more applicants than places. It doesn't guarantee a place: the council's admissions rules decide the order.

Set your home postcode at the top of the page to see whether you live inside it.

A few spare places93 pupils for 105 places, 2024/25
89% full

About 12 places were empty, so most families who apply get in, though a popular year group can still fill up. Pupil numbers have fallen by 10% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Cheshire East council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

What a home inside the catchment costs

Typical sale price inside the catchment£568,000half sold for £340k to £854k
Homes sold32December 2023 to December 2025, Land Registry
Compared with the district+89%a typical home in the district sells for £300,000

Every home sold inside the council's catchment area, of any type, from HM Land Registry records. If homes here cost more than the district average, that is the price people pay to live close enough to get in.

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll97Census January 2026
Places10592% full
Pupils from low-income families3%3% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English4%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support6%6 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan5%5 pupils with a plan
Average class size24.34 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)2%£3,100 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls44 / 53
White British pupils79%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 30.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 26.5 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (6), Autistic spectrum disorder (2), Moderate learning difficulty (2), Physical disability (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll97928587103107
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals3%3%1%2%3%5%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language4%4%7%2%1%2%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support10%5%6%4%3%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans5%2%1%0%1%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 97.1% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance97.1%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school3.6%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission0.8%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence2.9%3.1%3.3%4.0%1.5%2.6%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence2.1%2.5%2.5%3.5%1.4%2.1%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.8%0.7%0.8%0.4%0.1%0.5%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence3.6%1.3%3.3%3.3%2.2%1.9%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.00.00.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers5.0full-time equivalent, 6 people
Pupils per teacher19.4Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants0.6full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£51,552
Teachers who left in the year0%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher5.02024/25

Money

From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£7,359England £7,128. Total £677k
Income per pupil£7,174England £7,587. Total £660k
Spent on teachers per pupil£4,163England £3,405
Money in reserve-1%In the red: -£3,201, -£35 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out-£17kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£7,359spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m1412 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate39 per 1,000 people57% lower than the England average
Typical house price£300,000Cheshire East
Nearest bus stop40 mMeadowside Church, 1 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Pott Shrigley CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England1.4 miles26Good 20241Compare
St Paul's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary AcademyAcademy1.6 miles110Good 202440Compare
Worth Primary SchoolAcademy1.7 miles197Requires improvement 202315Compare
Dean Valley Community Primary SchoolCouncil1.7 miles199Good 202379Compare
Vernon Primary SchoolCouncil1.8 miles394Outstanding 202497Compare
Bollington St John's CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England1.9 miles102Good 202265Compare
Bollington Cross CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England1.9 miles167Good 202368Compare
Woodford Primary SchoolFree school2.2 miles149No overall grade 2025100Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Adlington Primary School with the 48 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 48 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats92%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
Near the very top of its group. Its score of 92 is 17 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 6 · middle 76 · highest 99100

No school with a similar mix of pupils within 25 km scores clearly higher.

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 92 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 92% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 79 to 98. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years25%above
+0.16
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 15 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%well above
+0.43
Ofsted grade, 1.7 years old
Progress pupils make20%in line
+0.05
DfE progress measure; 15 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%below
-0.09
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%well above
+0.14
2024/25; 84 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%above
+0.10
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 15 pupils
What parents say0%no data

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Adlington Primary School a good school?

Yes, going by the figures. Adlington Primary School scores 92 out of 100. That is well above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 92% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 79 to 98, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Adlington Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Adlington Primary School not judged at its last full inspection on 17 December 2024.

How good are Adlington Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 73% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level. The year group was small, so the percentages jump around a lot from year to year.

How many pupils does Adlington Primary School have?

97 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 105 places, so it is 92% full.

Is Adlington Primary School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 12 places were empty in 2024/25 (11% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Adlington Primary School?

Pupils were in school 97.1% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 4% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Adlington Primary School?

The average class had 24.3 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Brookledge Lane, Adlington, Macclesfield, SK10 4JX
Telephone
01625 573201
Website
adlington.ht.school
Headteacher
Mrs Steph Swinson
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
Halliard Trust (12 schools)
Local authority
Cheshire East
Ward
Poynton West and Adlington
Constituency
Macclesfield
Setting
Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 September 2016 (academy converter)
URN
143154 · LAESTAB 8952143 · UKPRN 10057531
Formerly
Adlington Primary School

Where these figures come from