The Acorns Primary and Nursery School, Ellesmere Port
The Acorns Primary and Nursery School is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Ellesmere Port, part of The Rowan Learning Trust. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 18th-highest of the 20 schools in Ellesmere Port with published results, and 12,107th of 14,452 across England. It was 98% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Cheshire West and Chester (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
The Acorns Primary and Nursery School in detail
The Acorns Primary and Nursery School in its own words
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include dance and drama.
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care.
Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 64% of Year 6 pupils at The Acorns Primary and Nursery School reached the expected standard in reading and 64% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 78% and 74% in Cheshire West and Chester and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 66% in reading and 50% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at The Acorns Primary and Nursery School
For September 2026 entry, 44 families put The Acorns Primary and Nursery School as their first choice and 70 named it as one of their preferences, for 45 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 1 family who put it first was not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at The Acorns Primary and Nursery School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to The Acorns Primary and Nursery School are Brookside Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 77% reading, 63% maths); William Stockton Community Primary School (0.6 miles, 68% reading, 76% maths); Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 80% reading, 72% maths); and Rivacre Valley Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 83% reading, 69% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than The Acorns Primary and Nursery School.
Brookside Primary SchoolWilliam Stockton Community Primary SchoolOur Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Primary SchoolRivacre Valley Primary School
The trust
The Acorns Primary and Nursery School is one of 12 schools run by The Rowan Learning Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 68% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
148 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about The Acorns Primary and Nursery School (as of September 2025): 99% would recommend the school, 99% say their child is happy there and 86% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (99%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (86%).
Who goes there
42.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 10.7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Overpool Rail Station, about 470 metres away (roughly a 6-minute walk).
11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Atherton Road (opposite), 140 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood The Acorns Primary and Nursery School stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 287 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and public order offences. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Cheshire West and Chester (71), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, The Acorns Primary and Nursery School issued 5 suspensions, 1.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to The Acorns Primary and Nursery School are Ellesmere Port Church of England College (0.5 miles); Ellesmere Port Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy (0.7 miles); and The Whitby High School (1.2 miles).
Ellesmere Port Church of England CollegeEllesmere Port Catholic High School, a Voluntary AcademyThe Whitby High School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; Ofsted Parent View; 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
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoOverall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
The Acorns Primary and Nursery School has had no graded Ofsted inspection since it took its current form in July 2022. Before that, as The Acorns Primary and Nursery School (URN 134866), it was rated Good in February 2018.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's June 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
The Acorns is a welcoming school where children thrive both academically and personally. Staff deliver high-quality teaching in reading and early language development, and the school excels at supporting pupils with additional needs to learn alongside their peers. Beyond the classroom, pupils benefit from a rich range of experiences - from trips to capital cities and beaches to performances in dance, music and sport - all designed to boost confidence and prepare them for their future.
Key Strengths
- Strong focus on communication and language skills in early years with warm, nurturing relationships - pupils get off to a flying start
- Effective phonics teaching that helps most pupils become accurate and fluent readers by key stage 2
- High-quality curriculum that provides well for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND
- Well-ordered school with calm classrooms where pupils focus on learning
- Extensive enrichment programme (Acorns to Oak Trees) that broadens horizons and raises aspirations
Areas for Improvement
- In some subjects, staff do not choose the most appropriate learning activities to deliver the intended curriculum content, meaning pupils miss important knowledge
- Year 6 pupils underperformed in mathematics in 2024 due to unaddressed gaps from the pandemic (though school has since introduced better checks)
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with leaders and staff committed to an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Dance performances, music performances, competitive sporting tournaments, train rides, cycling lessons, community projects with older people, before- and after-school clubs
The Acorns Primary and Nursery School has maintained the good standards from its previous inspection. Pupils are happy, respectful and achieve well, with strong support for disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs.
At a Glance
42.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
148 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 64% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 50% to 64% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 67% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
27.0
Avg class size
24.0
Infant (KS1)
29.5
KS2
11
Total classes
2 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with The Acorns Primary and Nursery School
Before and after school care
The Acorns Primary and Nursery School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Cheshire West and Chester
Term dates
The Acorns Primary and Nursery School is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Cheshire West and Chester's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to The Acorns Primary and Nursery School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. The Acorns Primary and Nursery School is in Cheshire West and Chester; for families living there:
Apply to Cheshire West and Chester for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 17
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 5
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 17 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 13 slight.
5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot, 3 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
8 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 Cheshire West and Chester is 7 (the median across 184 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 The Acorns Primary and Nursery School
Will you get a place at The Acorns Primary and Nursery School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against The Acorns Primary and Nursery School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for The Acorns Primary and Nursery School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to The Acorns Primary and Nursery School.
- Cheshire West and Chester publishes last distance offered figures, but none for The Acorns Primary and Nursery School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at The Acorns Primary and Nursery School for 2023 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Cheshire West and Chester 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
98%
Near capacity
308 pupils
315 places
7 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Ellesmere Port
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Ellesmere Port
Across Cheshire West and Chester council
Places available
4,260
Applications
3,274
Got 1st preference
92.3%
Got preferred school
98.5%
All primary applications across Cheshire West and Chester council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History
Ungraded inspection: Standards have been maintained.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
67
SEN Support
13
EHC Plans
22.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
356
Total Pupils
184
Boys
172
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
19
Teachers
18.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£47,986
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,081
Per pupil
£2200k
Total funding
£239k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.8%
Overall absence
16.5%
Persistent absence
279
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
The Acorns Primary and Nursery School
Questions parents ask about The Acorns Primary and Nursery School
What are SATs results like at The Acorns Primary and Nursery School?
Of the pupils at The Acorns Primary and Nursery School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 64% reached the expected standard in reading and 64% did so in maths.
What is The Acorns Primary and Nursery School's Ofsted rating?
The Acorns Primary and Nursery School has had no graded Ofsted inspection since it took its current form in July 2022. Before that, as The Acorns Primary and Nursery School (URN 134866), it was rated Good in February 2018.
What is the catchment area for The Acorns Primary and Nursery School?
No fixed boundary. When The Acorns Primary and Nursery School is oversubscribed, Cheshire West and Chester allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at The Acorns Primary and Nursery School?
The Acorns Primary and Nursery School was close to full in 2025, at 98% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at The Acorns Primary and Nursery School?
Classes at The Acorns Primary and Nursery School average 27 pupils (2025/26). 2 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to The Acorns Primary and Nursery School?
The Acorns Primary and Nursery School has around 356 pupils on roll. 42% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at The Acorns Primary and Nursery School?
5.8% of sessions were missed at The Acorns Primary and Nursery School in 2024/25. 16.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to The Acorns Primary and Nursery School?
Apply through Cheshire West and Chester's coordinated admissions process, naming The Acorns Primary and Nursery 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 The Acorns Primary and Nursery School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
The Acorns Primary and Nursery School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school.
How many road collisions happen near The Acorns Primary and Nursery School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 17 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 13 slight. 5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot, 3 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 8 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 Cheshire West and Chester is 7 (the median across 184 schools, same distance and years).
Where is The Acorns Primary and Nursery School?
The Acorns Primary and Nursery School is at Pooltown Road, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, CH65 7ED.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)