Inspire Academy

About Inspire Academy

Inspire Academy, a state primary in Tameside, holds a Good rating from Ofsted following its most recent inspection in 2023, a grade it has maintained consistently across both its recent inspections. The school’s strongest academic indicator is its Key Stage 2 performance in reading, writing and maths combined. In the 2023/24 academic year, 77% of pupils reached the expected standard in all three subjects, well above the Tameside local authority average of 62%. This places Inspire Academy 7th out of 57 primary schools in the borough, putting it in the top 25% nationally. The school also performs strongly at the higher standard, with 8% of pupils achieving greater depth across all three subjects. In individual subjects, maths stands out: 42% of pupils reached the higher standard, with an average scaled score of 108, while reading and writing also saw solid higher-standard results of 30% and 12% respectively.

The Ofsted report from October 2023 awarded Good across every category inspected, including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. This represents a continuation of the Good rating from the previous inspection in 2018, which had rated early years provision as Requires Improvement — a clear area of progress. The school has a nursery provision for children from age three, and the early years setting is now rated Good. With 432 pupils on roll against a capacity of 420, the school is slightly over capacity, and it was oversubscribed for the 2025/26 intake: 90 applications for 59 places, with 51 first-preference offers made, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.53. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is 39%, significantly above the national average, reflecting the school’s inclusive intake.

Facilities include a sports hall, dining hall, forest school, ICT suite and a chapel, with a broad sports programme covering cricket, swimming, rounders, cross country and dance. Clubs such as art, science, chess and coding offer enrichment beyond the curriculum. The school’s SEND provision is comprehensive, supporting pupils with specific learning difficulties including dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, visual impairment, physical disability and autistic spectrum disorder. For families considering Inspire Academy, it offers strong academic outcomes relative to the local authority, a consistent Ofsted record, and a clear commitment to inclusion. The nearest Outstanding-rated primary is Millbrook Primary School, 2.7 km away, but Inspire’s solid Good rating and above-average results make it a strong contender for families in Tameside.

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