Archers Brook SEMH School, Ellesmere Port

Good
Special
Community special school
Mixed
Ages 916

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Samantha Myers-Whittaker
Pupils:118 / 103 capacity
LA:Cheshire West and Chester
Phone:01518326600
Address:Chester Road, Great Sutton, Ellesmere Port, CH66 2NA
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 1 year ago
-

Overall

Good

Quality of Education

Good

Behaviour & Attitudes

Good

Personal Development

Good

Leadership & Management

Inspected 17 June 2025View full report
URN:111517
UKPRN:10015406
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Ellesmere Port and Bromborough
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

The school excels at helping pupils who have had disrupted school experiences feel accepted and re-engage with learning. Staff know pupils exceptionally well and provide tailored support that helps them develop resilience, improve their behaviour and achieve well from their starting points. Pupils also benefit from a wide range of enriching activities and high-quality careers guidance that prepares them well for their futures.

Key Strengths

  • Warm, positive relationships between staff and pupils that help them feel happy and thrive
  • Highly individualised support programmes tailored to each pupil's needs and EHC plans
  • Strong focus on reading with trained staff delivering phonics to weaker readers
  • Excellent careers guidance resulting in all pupils progressing to education, employment or training
  • Wide range of enriching activities including sports, outdoor pursuits and community volunteering

Areas for Improvement

  • Reading curriculum not yet fully embedded or implemented consistently across the school
  • Subject-specific vocabulary development not applied consistently across the curriculum
  • Some reading initiatives are relatively new and not yet fully embedded

Safeguarding

Safeguarding arrangements are effective with strong leadership creating an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.

Extracurricular Activities

Walking in local parks, camping, kayaking, mountain biking, archery, football, netball, Duke of Edinburgh's Award, charity fundraising, volunteering, art gallery and museum visits, competitions and trips

Archers Brook SEMH School is a special school for pupils aged 9-16 with social, emotional and mental health needs. The school has a strong, nurturing ethos where pupils with disrupted educational backgrounds thrive through individualised support and high expectations.

At a Glance

63.6%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health

SEN Provision

No

Special Measures

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading+30ppMathsWriting+30pp

Reading has improved from 0% to 30%. Maths has remained stable at around 0%. Writing has improved from 0% to 30%.

Class Sizes

0.0

Avg class size

0

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Train Stations

Capenhurst Rail Station (front entrance)
1.0km · 16 min walk

Bus Stops

Capenhurst Grange School (Bay 1)
32m · 1 min walk
Wyndham Crescent (cnr)
106m · 2 min walk
Archers Brook School (o/s)
154m · 3 min walk
Painswick Road (cnr)
183m · 3 min walk
Chase Way (nr)
277m · 5 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

115%

Over capacity

118 pupils

103 capacity

15 places over capacity

Area Demand Pressure - Ellesmere Port

Low pressure
New homes approved:963
Projected new pupils:173

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Ellesmere Port

Admissions Demand - Cheshire West and Chester

Low demand0.87x oversubscription

Places available

4,161

Applications

3,615

Got 1st preference

95.0%

Got preferred school

99.4%

Secondary admissions across Cheshire West and Chester (2025/26)

Inspection History(7)

17 June 2025
Quality of EducationGood
Behaviour & AttitudesGood
Personal DevelopmentGood
Leadership & ManagementGood
19 March 2024
13 March 2018
Leadership & ManagementGood

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SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

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Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

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Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

16.10455%

Overall absence

44.3299%

Persistent absence

97

Enrolments

Authorised10.01102%
Unauthorised6.09353%
Persistent (10%+)44.3299%
Severe (50%+)12.37113%

Absence trend

17.1633%
18/19
24.65063%
20/21
21.26021%
21/22
21.92601%
22/23
17.56997%
23/24
16.10455%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

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