Wharton CofE Primary School

Wharton CofE Primary School is a voluntary aided Church of England primary in Winsford. This October 2024 graded inspection found the school to be Good in all five inspected areas: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. That marks a clear improvement from the previous inspection, when the school was graded Requires improvement; under the current framework no overall effectiveness grade is given. Pupils are described as polite, kind and safe, and the school has a calm, family-like culture with high expectations and strong routines from Reception. Leaders have swiftly improved the curriculum, especially phonics and reading, and current pupils, including those with SEND, are achieving well. Personal development is comprehensive, safeguarding is effective, and governors provide strong challenge and support, particularly on attendance, which is improving after a historically low period. The main areas for further work are the small number of subjects where curriculum thinking is not yet finalised and the legacy gaps in pupils' knowledge from the previous curriculum. Unvalidated 2024 key stage 2 results in reading, writing and maths were below national average because the Year 6 cohort had too little time with the new curriculum; the school needs to identify and close remaining knowledge gaps so pupils have solid foundations for future learning.

Strengths

• Pupils are polite, well-mannered and treat others with kindness and respect.
• The school has a calm, welcoming and family-like culture underpinned by its 'do everything in love' ethos.
• High expectations and well-established routines begin in the Reception Year.
• The curriculum is broad, balanced and ambitious, with clear sequencing in most subjects.
• Leaders have swiftly improved the curriculum since the previous inspection, with a positive impact on current pupils' achievement.
• Phonics and early reading are taught effectively, with prompt catch-up support and most pupils fluent readers by Year 2.
• Pupils with SEND are supported extremely well through purposeful staff training.
• Pupils are eager to learn, resilient and supportive of one another.
• Personal development is comprehensive, covering mental health, safety and fundamental British values.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• Governors are skilled, ambitious and tenacious in their oversight, particularly of attendance.
• Staff are highly positive, proud to work at the school and well supported.

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum thinking is not finalised in a small number of subjects, so fundamental knowledge and sequencing are not clearly set out.
• Some pupils have gaps in knowledge from the previous curriculum and struggle to retain new learning.
• Unvalidated 2024 key stage 2 attainment in reading, writing and maths was below the national average.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Wharton CofE Primary School attended 94.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 14.7% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 1.3% of pupils at Wharton CofE Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Wharton CofE Primary School had 19.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 8.1% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 20.5% of pupils at Wharton CofE Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.0% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Wharton CofE Primary School received £7,179 and spent £7,810 for each of its 244 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £254,000 (-£1,042 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Winsford · Cheshire West and Chester local authority: places and applications

What is Wharton CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Wharton CofE Primary School is Good, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was Wharton CofE Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Wharton CofE Primary School was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Wharton CofE Primary School have?

Wharton CofE Primary School has 244 pupils on roll.

What age range does Wharton CofE Primary School cover?

Wharton CofE Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Wharton CofE Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 37% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Wharton CofE Primary School?

Wharton CofE Primary School is at Greville Drive, Winsford, Cheshire, CW7 3EP.