Hursthead Infant School, Cheadle
Hursthead Infant School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 7 in Cheadle. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2023. It was 93% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2023)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Stockport (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Hursthead Infant School in detail
Hursthead Infant School in its own words
In its own words: "We are delighted you are considering joining our Hursthead family. It is a big step in a child's life and we believe the best way to decide if our school is the right one for your child is to come and see us in action."
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Hursthead Infant School
For September 2026 entry, 60 families put Hursthead Infant School as their first choice and 190 named it as one of their preferences, for 61 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Hursthead Infant School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Hursthead Infant School are Hursthead Junior School (under 0.1 miles, Good, 88% reading, 88% maths); Moss Hey Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 94% reading, 94% maths); Thorn Grove Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 86% reading, 83% maths); and Pownall Green Primary School (0.9 miles, Good, 90% reading, 86% maths).
Hursthead Junior SchoolMoss Hey Primary SchoolThorn Grove Primary SchoolPownall Green Primary School
Who goes there
2.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 11 pupils (4.5%) received SEN support and 2 (0.8%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Bramhall Rail Station, about 1120 metres away (roughly a 14-minute walk).
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Furness Road (near), 270 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Hursthead Infant School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
Hursthead Infant School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Hursthead Infant School are Cheadle Hulme High School (0.3 miles), St James' Catholic High School (0.7 miles) and Bramhall High School (1.2 miles).
Cheadle Hulme High SchoolSt James' Catholic High SchoolBramhall High School
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's November 2023 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Hursthead Infant School creates a caring family atmosphere where children thrive academically and emotionally. Staff demonstrate deep understanding of individual pupil needs and provide extensive opportunities for children to develop their talents. Reading is particularly strong, with skilled teaching ensuring all children become confident, fluent readers.
Key Strengths
- Outstanding personal development with pupils showing strong understanding of emotions, mental health, and being responsible citizens
- Effective early reading programme with skilled staff ensuring pupils become confident, fluent readers by end of Year 2
- Excellent support for pupils with SEND through strong systems and links with external professionals
- Well-thought-out curriculum with careful sequencing of knowledge in most subjects
- Consistent behaviour management that rarely disrupts learning
Areas for Improvement
- In a few subjects, teachers are not clear enough about the most important knowledge pupils need to learn, which hinders some pupils from recalling and applying learning to complex tasks
- The school should ensure teachers are sufficiently clear about the most useful knowledge for pupils' subsequent learning
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
Extracurricular Activities
Playground friends roles, sports leaders roles
Hursthead Infant School is a happy place to learn where pupils achieve well across the curriculum with high expectations for academic achievement. The school has prioritised pupils' well-being and wider development, creating a strong sense of community.
At a Glance
2.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
27.1
Avg class size
27.1
Infant (KS1)
9
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Hursthead Infant School
From Hursthead Infant School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Hursthead Infant School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Hursthead Infant School.
- LSC @ Thorn Grove Primary School680m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Hursthead Infant School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Hursthead Infant School is in Stockport; for families living there:
Apply to Stockport for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 1
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 0 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Stockport is 8 (the median across 135 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Hursthead Infant School
Will you get a place at Hursthead Infant School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Hursthead Infant School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Hursthead Infant School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Hursthead Infant School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Stockport, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Hursthead Infant School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Stockport got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
93%
Near capacity
251 pupils
270 places
19 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Cheadle
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Cheadle
Across Stockport council
Places available
3,643
Applications
2,886
Got 1st preference
94.1%
Got preferred school
99.3%
All primary applications across Stockport council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(4)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
11
SEN Support
2
EHC Plans
5.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
244
Total Pupils
129
Boys
115
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
13
Teachers
18.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,873
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,036
Per pupil
£1378k
Total funding
£11k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
2.7%
Overall absence
4.6%
Persistent absence
175
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Hursthead Infant School
Questions parents ask about Hursthead Infant School
What is Hursthead Infant School's Ofsted rating?
Hursthead Infant School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in November 2023. At its previous graded inspection in 2008 it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Hursthead Infant School?
No fixed boundary. When Hursthead Infant School is oversubscribed, Stockport allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Hursthead Infant School?
Hursthead Infant School was not full in 2025: it ran at 93% of its 270 places.
How big are the classes at Hursthead Infant School?
Classes at Hursthead Infant School average 27.1 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Hursthead Infant School?
Hursthead Infant School has around 244 pupils on roll. 3% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Hursthead Infant School?
2.7% of sessions were missed at Hursthead Infant School in 2024/25. 4.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Hursthead Infant School?
Apply through Stockport's coordinated admissions process, naming Hursthead Infant School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does Hursthead Infant School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Hursthead Infant School: LSC @ Thorn Grove Primary School (680m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Hursthead Infant School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 0 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Stockport is 8 (the median across 135 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Hursthead Infant School?
Hursthead Infant School is at Kirkstead Road, Cheadle Hulme, Cheadle, Cheshire, SK8 7PZ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)