Black Firs Primary School
Black Firs Primary School is an academy converter in Congleton for pupils aged 3 to 11. It has 372 pupils on roll. In 2025, 68% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.
KS2 results: 2025.
| Type | Primary / Academy converter |
| Age Range | 3-11 |
| Religion | Does not apply |
| Address | Longdown Road Congleton Cheshire CW12 4QJ |
| Phone | 01260272935 |
| Reference Number | 140981 |
General Makeup
| Number of pupils | 372 |
| Boy/Girl ratio |
Boys: 53.23%
Girls: 46.77% |
| Percentage of students eligible for free school meals | 6.7% |
| Percentage of students where English is not their first language | 0.8% |
Class Sizes
| Average size of one teacher classes | 30.8 |
| Average size of Key Stage 1 classes taught by one teacher | 30.3 |
| Average size of Key Stage 2 classes taught by one teacher | 29.3 |
Year Groups
| Year | Boys | Girls | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 | 26 | 47 |
| 2 | 21 | 23 | 44 |
| 3 | 26 | 20 | 46 |
| 4 | 21 | 25 | 46 |
| 5 | 24 | 23 | 47 |
| 6 | 22 | 15 | 37 |
Ethnicities
| Ethnicity | Percentage |
|---|---|
| White, British | 92.5% |
| White & Black (Caribbean) | 1.3% |
| Unclassified | 1.1% |
| White & Asian | 0.8% |
| African | 0.8% |
| White, Other | 0.5% |
| Indian | 0.5% |
| White & Black (African) | 0.5% |
| Mixed, Other | 0.5% |
| Chinese | 0.3% |
| Irish | 0.3% |
| Pakistani | 0.3% |
| Asian, Other | 0.3% |
| Overall Ofsted Rating | |
| Last Report Date | 11 Oct 2022 – no overall grade published for this inspection |
| Date | Report |
|---|---|
| 11 Oct 2022 | School inspection |
| 19 Apr 2017 | Short inspection |
| 05 Jun 2014 | Academy conversion letter |
| 05 Nov 2013 | Full inspection: |
| Previously as Black Firs Primary School | |
| 21 Sep 2011 | Full inspection: |
| 30 Jun 2010 | Interim assessment |
| 02 Oct 2006 | Full inspection: |
| 05 Jun 2001 | Full inspection |
How many students meet the standards
| Reading, Writing & Maths | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils meeting the expected standard | 68% | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Pupils meeting a higher standard | 0% | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
Average Scaled Score
Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.
| Subject | School | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 106 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Maths | 105 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
Progress Scores
A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.
| Metric | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 1.1 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Writing | 1.2 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Maths | 1.4 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
How many students meet the standards
Sample
UnlockAverage Scaled Score
Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.
Sample
UnlockProgress Scores
A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.
Sample
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See how Black Firs Primary School ranks locally and nationally. Percentile rankings against every other school, historic result charts, admissions data and post-GCSE destinations are all included.
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Unlock for £9.99Reception admissions, 2026 entry
Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment
| Number of Applications | Number of Offers | |
| First Preference | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Second Preference | 48 | 2 |
| Third Preference | 30 | 0 |
| From another Local Authority | 1 | 1 |
Previous years
Sample
UnlockPlaces and pupil numbers
In 2024–25 Black Firs Primary School had 314 pupils for 315 places. 1 places (0.3%) were unfilled.
Pupils and places
Reception intake in the “Congleton West” planning area
Cheshire East counted 141 Reception pupils in this area in 2024–25 and forecasts 142 in 2029–30, up 1%.
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Places | 280 | 280 | 315 | 315 | 292 | 292 | 292 | 315 | 315 | 315 |
| Pupils | 267 | 292 | 291 | 283 | 290 | 302 | 312 | 309 | 312 | 314 |
| Unfilled | 4.6% | 0.0% | 7.6% | 10.2% | 0.7% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1.9% | 1.0% | 0.3% |
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 Black Firs Primary School attended 96.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 5.9% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).
Sessions missed
Pupils persistently absent
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Authorised absence | 3.1% | 3.3% | 3.3% | 3.9% | 2.6% | 3.9% | 4.1% | 3.5% | 4.6% | 3.5% |
| Unauthorised absence | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.5% | 0.7% | 0.4% | 0.9% | 1.2% | 0.8% | 0.5% |
| Severely absent pupils | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
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, 0.5% of pupils at Black Firs Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.
Pupils suspended at least once
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspensions per 100 pupils | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
| Permanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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 Black Firs Primary School had 23.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2023–24, 17.2% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 17.1%).
Pupils per teacher
Teachers who left the school within a year
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2024 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils per adult | 9.9 | 11.3 | 10.4 | 11.1 | 10.3 | 9.8 | 10.3 | 10.7 | 13.6 | 13.3 |
| Teachers who left state teaching | 8.6% | 0.0% | 7.1% | 0.0% | 14.4% | 14.3% | 8.3% | 7.4% | 8.6% | – |
| Teachers who took any sick leave | 16.7% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | – | 13.3% | – | – | – |
| Sick days per teacher | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | – | 1.1 | – | – | – |
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, 11.6% of pupils at Black Firs Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.2% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).
Pupils by main type of need
| SEN support | EHC plan | |
|---|---|---|
| Speech, language and communication needs | 15 | 3 |
| Autistic spectrum disorder | 9 | 4 |
| Moderate learning difficulty | 7 | 2 |
| No specialist assessment of need | 5 | 0 |
| Social, emotional and mental health | 4 | 1 |
| Specific learning difficulty | 3 | 0 |
| Multi-sensory impairment | 0 | 1 |
| Vision impairment | 0 | 1 |
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 2024–25 Black Firs Primary School received £5,987 and spent £6,169 for each of its 355 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £77,000 (-£218 per pupil).
Across all 15 schools of The Learning Partnership Academies Trust, income was £7,536 and spending £7,682 per pupil.
Income per pupil
Spending per pupil
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue reserve | £165,000 | £202,000 | £231,000 | £241,000 | £87,000 | -£53,000 | -£77,000 |
| per pupil | £535 | £626 | £703 | £697 | £235 | -£144 | -£218 |
| In-year balance | -£35,000 | £12,000 | £30,000 | £61,000 | -£165,000 | -£209,000 | -£65,000 |
| per pupil | -£114 | £38 | £92 | £177 | -£448 | -£569 | -£182 |
Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.
| Name | Distance |
|
The Quinta Primary School
Ullswater Road, Congleton, Cheshire, CW12 4LX |
0.48 miles |
|
Saint Mary's Catholic Primary School
Belgrave Avenue, Congleton, Cheshire, CW12 1HT |
1.16 miles |
|
Marlfields Primary School
Waggs Road, Congleton, Cheshire, CW12 4BT |
1.24 miles |
|
Astbury St Mary's CofE Primary School
School Lane, Astbury, Congleton, Cheshire, CW12 4RG |
1.41 miles |
|
Daven Primary School
New Street, Congleton, Cheshire, CW12 3AH |
1.72 miles |
|
Buglawton Primary School
Buxton Old Road, Congleton, Cheshire, CW12 2EL |
2.05 miles |
|
Havannah Primary School
Malhamdale Road, Congleton, Cheshire, CW12 2DF |
2.1 miles |
|
Mossley CofE Primary School
Boundary Lane, Congleton, Cheshire, CW12 3JA |
2.74 miles |
|
Smallwood CofE Primary School
School Lane, Sandbach, CW11 2UR |
2.9 miles |
|
Marton and District CofE Aided Primary School
School Lane, Marton, Macclesfield, Cheshire, SK11 9HD |
3.11 miles |
|
Brereton CofE Primary School
School Lane, Brereton Green, Sandbach, Cheshire, CW11 1RN |
3.74 miles |
|
Scholar Green Primary School
Congleton Road, Scholar Green, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST7 3HF |
4.19 miles |
|
Rode Heath Primary School
Heath Avenue, Rode Heath, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST7 3RY |
4.29 miles |
|
Woodcocks' Well CofE Primary School
Church Street, Mow Cop, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST7 3NQ |
4.34 miles |
|
St John's CofE Academy
Heath Road, Sandbach, Cheshire, CW11 2LE |
4.38 miles |
|
Castle Primary School
Mow Cop Road, Mow Cop, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST7 4NE |
4.43 miles |
|
Wonder Star School
Young People's Community Centre, Chapel Lane, Rode Heath, Stoke-on-Trent, ST7 3SD |
4.49 miles |
|
Woodhouse Academy
Woodhouse Lane, Biddulph, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST8 7DR |
4.52 miles |
|
Kingsfield First School
Gunn Street, Biddulph, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST8 6AY |
4.74 miles |
|
Terra Nova School
Jodrell Bank, Crewe, CW4 8BT |
4.78 miles |
| Name | Distance |
|
Congleton High School
Box Lane, Congleton, Cheshire, CW12 4NS |
0.32 miles |
|
Aidenswood School
48 Parson Street, Congleton, Cheshire, CW12 4ED |
1.03 miles |
|
Esland Daven School
Unit 2 Dane Valley Mill, Havannah Street, Congleton, Cheshire, CW12 2AH |
1.77 miles |
|
Eaton Bank Academy
Jackson Road, Congleton, Cheshire, CW12 1NT |
1.78 miles |
|
Opal Education
Unit 12, Holland Business Park, Riverdane Road, Congleton, CW12 1PN |
1.81 miles |
|
Cheshire Hall School
Congleton Road, Cheshire, Sandbach, Cheshire, CW11 4TF |
3.83 miles |
|
Church Lawton School
Cherry Tree Avenue, Church Lawton, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST7 3EL |
4.83 miles |
|
Roaches School
Tunstall Road, Knypersley, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST8 7AB |
4.97 miles |
All schools in Congleton · Cheshire East local authority: places and applications
Black Firs Primary School is part of The Learning Partnership Academies Trust, which runs 15 schools. The nearest others:
- Congleton High School Congleton
- Daven Primary School Congleton
- Castle Primary School Stoke-On-Trent
- Dove Bank Primary School Stoke-On-Trent
- Wheelock Primary School Sandbach
- Sir William Stanier School Crewe
- Cheshire Studio School Crewe
- Crewe Engineering and Design UTC Crewe
- Leighton Academy Crewe
- The Oaks Academy Crewe
How many pupils does Black Firs Primary School have?
Black Firs Primary School has 372 pupils on roll.
What age range does Black Firs Primary School cover?
Black Firs Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.
What are Black Firs Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?
In 2025, 68% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.
Where is Black Firs Primary School?
Black Firs Primary School is at Longdown Road, Congleton, Cheshire, CW12 4QJ.