Sound and District Primary School
Catchment Area, Reviews and Key Information

Primary
PUPILS
137
AGES
4 - 11
GENDER
Mixed
TYPE
Community school
SCHOOL GUIDE RATING
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Can I Get My Child Into This School?

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This pupil heat map shows where pupils currently attending the school live.
The concentration of pupils shows likelihood of admission based on distance criteria

Source: All attending pupils National School Census Data, ONS

This School Guide heat map has been plotted using official pupil data taken from the last School Census collected by the Department for Education. It is a visualisation of where pupils lived at the time of the annual School Census.

Our heat maps use groups of postcodes, not individual postcodes, and have naturally soft edges. All pupils are included in the mapping (i.e. children with siblings already at the school, high priority pupils and selective and/or religious admissions) but we may have removed statistical ‘outliers’ with more remote postcodes that do not reflect majority admissions.

For some schools, the heat map may be a useful indicator of the catchment area but our heat maps are not the same as catchment area maps. Catchment area maps, published by the school or local authority, are based on geographical admissions criteria and show actual cut-off distances and pre-defined catchment areas for a single admission year.

This information is provided as a guide only. The criteria in which schools use to allocate places in the event that they are oversubscribed can and do vary between schools and over time. These criteria can include distance from the school and sometimes specific catchment areas but can also include, amongst others, priority for siblings, children of a particular faith or specific feeder schools. Living in an area where children have previously attended a school does not guarantee admission to the school in future years. Always check with the school’s own admission authority for the current admission arrangements.

3 steps to help parents gather catchment information for a school:

  1. Look at our school catchment area guide for more information on heat maps. They give a useful indicator of the general areas that admit pupils to the school. This visualisation is based on all attending pupils present at the time of the annual School Census.
  2. Use the link to the Local Authority Contact (above) to find catchment area information based on a single admission year. This is very important if you are considering applying to a school.
  3. On each school page, use the link to visit the school website and find information on individual school admissions criteria. Geographical criteria are only applied after pupils have been admitted on higher priority criteria such as Looked After Children, SEN, siblings, etc.

How Does The School Perform?

Good
NATIONAL AVG. 2.09
Ofsted Inspection
(02/12/2022)
Full Report - All Reports
71%
NATIONAL AVG. 60%
% pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics



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Progress Compared With All Other Schools

UNLOCK Well Below Average (About 9% of schools in England) Below Average (About 9% of schools in England) Average (About 67% of schools in England) Above Average (About 6% of schools in England) Well Above Average (About 9% of schools in England) UNLOCK Well Below Average (About 10% of schools in England) Below Average (About 9% of schools in England) Average (About 67% of schools in England) Above Average (About 6% of schools in England) Well Above Average (About 8% of schools in England) UNLOCK Well Below Average (About 10% of schools in England) Below Average (About 11% of schools in England) Average (About 59% of schools in England) Above Average (About 11% of schools in England) Well Above Average (About 9% of schools in England)
Whitchurch Road
Sound
Nantwich
CW5 8AE
01270780270

School Description

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. This is a warm, caring and welcoming school and the atmosphere around school is calm and purposeful. The family ethos permeates everything that you do. Adults know pupils well and make learning interesting and exciting. Your strong leadership creates a caring and supportive environment where staff and pupils thrive and challenge themselves to be the best that they can be. Staff morale is high and pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education. Since your appointment as headteacher, you have wasted no time in identifying the school’s strengths and areas for improvement. You have a clear vision for the school, which is shared by governors and staff. Together you have put in place wellfocused plans to improve the school. The governing body is knowledgeable and provides effective challenge and support to leaders. They have the best interests of the pupils and families at the heart of their work. Pupils enjoy their time at school and wear their uniform with pride. Behaviour around the school and in lessons is good. Pupils are polite, well mannered and are a credit to the school and their families. They value the relationships they have with teachers and each other. Pupils were keen to tell me, ‘We are a big family, we help each other and know each other well.’ The majority of parents who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, are positive about the school. Parents value your leadership and the changes that you have made. As one parent commented, ‘The new headteacher is particularly impressive. The children admire and respect her. She is a fun and strong leader.’ At the last inspection, the lead inspector asked you to improve the teaching of phonics for pupils in key stage 1. You have met this challenge. Leaders continue to review the quality of teaching and identify areas that need to improve. Teachers plan lessons carefully and pupils engage well with phonics teaching. Pupils’ achievement in phonics is good. By the end of Year 1, they consistently achieve at a level which is in line with or above the national average in the phonics screening check. The previous inspection also noted that leaders needed to improve the teaching of writing across the school. Leaders are working well to address this challenge. Your monitoring of teaching has ensured that staff improve their subject knowledge. Leaders have established a highly structured approach to writing that builds pupils’ skills progressively. The teaching of writing is improving, with a consistent approach to the teaching of spelling, punctuation and grammar. Writing is now linked with topics and this has made the purpose of writing meaningful to pupils. Key texts are used to capture pupils’ imagination and motivate them to write. As a result, pupils understand what it means to have a purpose to write for. They also have the skills to become successful writers. Information that leaders provided and work in pupils’ books show that most pupils are now making good progress. However, you acknowledge that more needs to be done in key stage 2. This is so that standards in writing improve to match those in other subjects, especially for the most able pupils. Safeguarding is effective. There is a strong culture of safeguarding in the school. Leaders ensure that safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. Safeguarding policies are up to date and reflect the most recent changes to government legislation. All staff and governors understand their roles in keeping children safe. Records are detailed and of high quality. Suitable checks are made on visitors to the school. All staff have received relevant training and, because of this, they know what to do if they have any concerns about pupils. Leaders work effectively with external agencies to protect any pupils who might be at risk. Pupils say that they feel safe at school and are well looked after. All pupils I spoke to agreed that bullying does not happen. Pupils know what to do if they have any concerns. They value the caring relationships that they have with staff and each other. There are many opportunities across the curriculum for pupils to learn about how to stay safe, especially when they are online. Parents who completed the Ofsted online survey, Parent View, all agree that their children are well cared for, safe and happy. As one parent commented, ‘This is just a wonderful school. The safe and family-oriented feel that the school has is fantastic.’ Inspection findings My first line of enquiry considered how effectively leaders were improving the teaching of mathematics in key stage 1. This was because in 2016 and 2017, the proportion of pupils who attained at the expected standard was below the national average. Leaders have reviewed the teaching of mathematics and the progress that pupils make. Teachers receive training to improve their knowledge and understanding of the mathematics curriculum. Pupils are keen to learn and engage well in their work. Effective questioning and feedback by teachers support pupils’ learning and enable them to make good progress in lessons. As a result of leaders’ actions, pupils’ progress in mathematics is improving across key stage 1, especially for the most able. Despite these improvements, you recognise that pupils need more opportunities to develop their reasoning and problemsolving skills in mathematics. Another key line of enquiry considered the attendance and persistent absence of disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities. This is because in 2016, attendance was low and persistent absence was high for these groups of pupils. You have established effective systems to check pupils’ attendance and to celebrate good attendance. You have identified the different reasons why these pupils have a high absence rate and are working closely to support families. You know the reasons why every pupil is absent from school and you are working to remove the barriers that pupils face. Governors have recently reviewed the attendance policy to improve attendance across the school. Individual case studies show that as a result of your actions, the attendance of some pupils has improved. However, you recognise that there is more to be done so that all pupils attend as regularly as possible. The curriculum is rich. Displays around the school celebrate pupils’ work and demonstrate high standards that they achieve across the curriculum. Activities inspire pupils to learn and make good progress. Leaders have created a vibrant learning environment both indoors and outside. Pupils speak with enthusiasm about the range of activities which they enjoy. Sport is a particularly important aspect within your curriculum. Pupils were keen to tell me that they value the many different opportunities they have to take part in a range of sporting competitions. As one pupil stated, ‘It keeps us healthy.’ Next steps for the school Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that: they continue to embed the strategies for problem-solving and reasoning in key stage 1 pupils make more rapid progress in writing, so that a greater proportion achieve the highest standard in key stage 2 they continue to improve the attendance of disadvantaged pupils and those who have SEN and/or disabilities. I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Cheshire East. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website. Yours sincerely Julie Kynaston Her Majesty’s Inspector Information about the inspection During the inspection I met with leaders and governors to discuss safeguarding and aspects of the school’s leadership and management. Together, we visited classes, spoke to pupils about their work and looked at examples of their learning. I observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and as they moved around school. I reviewed documentation about safeguarding. I spoke with pupils about safeguarding and different aspects of their work. I reviewed leaders’ records of their monitoring of teaching and learning, minutes of meetings of the governing body, the school’s evaluation of its strengths and weaknesses and the school development plan. I took account of the 61 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, including 59 free-text responses. I completed a review of the school’s website.

Sound and District Primary School Parent Reviews



unlock % Parents Recommend This School
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>66, "agree"=>30, "disagree"=>2, "strongly_disagree"=>2, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 53 responses up to 28-02-2024
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>77, "agree"=>17, "disagree"=>2, "strongly_disagree"=>2, "dont_know"=>2} UNLOCK Figures based on 53 responses up to 28-02-2024
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>42, "agree"=>51, "disagree"=>4, "strongly_disagree"=>2, "dont_know"=>2} UNLOCK Figures based on 53 responses up to 28-02-2024
My Child Has Not Been Bullied Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"my_child_has_not_been_bullied"=>70, "strongly_agree"=>6, "agree"=>15, "disagree"=>8, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>2} UNLOCK Figures based on 53 responses up to 28-02-2024
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>43, "agree"=>40, "disagree"=>15, "strongly_disagree"=>2, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 53 responses up to 28-02-2024
I Have Not Raised Any Concerns Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"i_have_not_raised_any_concerns"=>25, "strongly_agree"=>42, "agree"=>23, "disagree"=>8, "strongly_disagree"=>2, "dont_know"=>2} UNLOCK Figures based on 53 responses up to 28-02-2024
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>20, "agree"=>50, "disagree"=>20, "strongly_disagree"=>10, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 10 responses up to 28-02-2024
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>43, "agree"=>43, "disagree"=>9, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>4} UNLOCK Figures based on 53 responses up to 28-02-2024
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>51, "agree"=>42, "disagree"=>4, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>4} UNLOCK Figures based on 53 responses up to 28-02-2024
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>40, "agree"=>38, "disagree"=>17, "strongly_disagree"=>4, "dont_know"=>2} UNLOCK Figures based on 53 responses up to 28-02-2024
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>53, "agree"=>42, "disagree"=>6, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 53 responses up to 28-02-2024
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>66, "agree"=>32, "disagree"=>2, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 53 responses up to 28-02-2024
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>51, "agree"=>30, "disagree"=>13, "strongly_disagree"=>2, "dont_know"=>4} UNLOCK Figures based on 53 responses up to 28-02-2024
Yes No {"yes"=>92, "no"=>8} UNLOCK Figures based on 53 responses up to 28-02-2024

Responses taken from Ofsted Parent View

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