SCHOOL PROFILE

Acorns Primary School

Not applicable Community special school URN 135347
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 70 Published school capacity
Capacity used 132.9% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 2 – 11 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest graded inspection

7 January 2025
Latest published outcome Not judged
OEIF
Quality of education Outstanding
Behaviour & attitudes Outstanding
Personal development Outstanding
Leadership & management Outstanding
INSPECTION HISTORY

Previous Ofsted activity

2 November 2023
Ungraded inspection School remains Good (Improving) - S5 Next
Published 10 December 2023
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Community special school
Phase Not applicable
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority Lancashire
Trust Not applicable
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 93 93 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 34 36.6% of pupils
Male pupils 59 63.4% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

39.8%
15.0 pts above England
School 39.8%
Preston 25.0%
North West 28.5%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

24.7%
4.4 pts above England
School 24.7%
Preston 31.2%
North West 18.1%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.0%
1.0 pts below England
School 0.0%
Preston 0.2%
North West 0.8%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
53.8%
50
Pakistani
11.8%
11
Indian
10.8%
10
African
7.5%
7
Any other Asian background
5.4%
5
White and Asian
3.2%
3
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 100.0% 93 of 93 pupils
79.2 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 100.0%
Preston 18.7%
North West 22.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 0.0% 0 pupils
England 14.8% 14.8 pts below
EHC plans 100.0% 93 pupils
England 6.0% 94.0 pts above
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder 38
Speech, language & communication 26
Profound & multiple learning difficulty 10
Severe learning difficulty 8
Physical disability 7
Hearing impairment 1

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 2 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading, writing & maths

0.0% 60.4 pts below England
School 0.0%
Preston 59.1%
North West 59.1%
England 60.4%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading

0.0%

73.8 pts below England

School 0.0%
Preston 72.0%
North West 73.2%
England 73.8%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Writing

0.0%

70.3 pts below England

School 0.0%
Preston 68.0%
North West 69.2%
England 70.3%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Maths

0.0%

72.0 pts below England

School 0.0%
Preston 72.3%
North West 71.7%
England 72.0%
School results show the percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard. Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages and are not pupil-weighted official attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

12.40%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

6.18 pts higher than England
School 12.40%
Preston 6.27%
North West 6.25%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

40.96%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

25.15 pts higher than England
School 40.96%
Preston 15.79%
North West 15.89%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

4.82%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

3.02 pts higher than England
School 4.82%
Preston 1.85%
North West 1.75%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open not applicable schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

132.9% 53.1 pts above England
Acorns Primary School
132.9%
Preston
84.5%
North West
82.4%
England
79.8%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information