The Acorns Primary and Nursery School

About The Acorns Primary and Nursery School

The Acorns Primary and Nursery School in Cheshire West and Chester has been rated Good by Ofsted following its most recent graded inspection, a significant improvement from its previous Requires Improvement rating. The school’s most telling exam metric is the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which stands at 39 per cent. That is well below the local authority average of 61 per cent for primary schools, and it places the school 98th out of 110 primaries in the borough. In the national rankings, it sits in the bottom 50 per cent of all primary schools. The school’s overall ranking score of 39 reflects this challenge, though the picture is not uniform across subjects: 66 per cent of pupils met the expected standard in reading and writing individually, and the average reading score of 103 is slightly above the national benchmark of 100.

At the higher standard, the numbers are much lower. Just 5 per cent of pupils achieved the higher standard in reading, writing and maths combined, with 9 per cent reaching that level in maths and 16 per cent in reading. The school’s maths average score of 100 is exactly in line with the national average. Ofsted’s breakdown shows that leadership and management, behaviour and attitudes, and early years provision are all rated Good. The school’s most recent ungraded inspection, in June 2025, confirmed that standards are being maintained. Parent feedback is overwhelmingly positive: 99 per cent of respondents would recommend the school, and 99 per cent strongly agree or agree that their child is happy there. The school has a nursery provision for children aged two and above.

The Acorns is a mixed state primary for pupils aged 2 to 11, with a current roll of 370 against a capacity of 394. It is oversubscribed: for the 2025/26 intake, there were 67 applications for 38 places, with all 36 first-preference applicants offered a place. The school serves a community with high levels of disadvantage, as 49.8 per cent of pupils are eligible for free school meals. Facilities include an ICT suite, library, gymnasium, playing fields and a chapel. Sports on offer include tennis, football, cricket, swimming, dance and gymnastics, while clubs range from coding and eco club to drama, gardening and art club. The school has a broad range of SEND provisions, covering dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social and emotional needs, speech and language needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. This is a school that has improved its Ofsted rating and enjoys strong parental support, but its academic outcomes remain a work in progress compared with local averages.

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