Wistaston Church Lane Academy

Wistaston Church Lane Academy is performing well, maintaining the standards set in its previous inspection. The school environments are described as happy and safe, with pupils enjoying their learning and achieving effectively. The high expectations set by the staff foster a welcoming atmosphere where pupils develop respect and responsibility, contributing to a positive school culture.

Strengths

• Pupils feel happy and safe at school
• Effective support for pupils with special educational needs
• Strong focus on reading and literacy
• Positive character development and fostering of resilience
• High expectations for pupil achievement and conduct
• Good attendance monitoring and support
• Welcoming environment for new pupils

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent recall of learning in some subjects

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 Wistaston Church Lane Academy attended 95.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.1% 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, 0.7% of pupils at Wistaston Church Lane Academy 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 Wistaston Church Lane Academy had 22.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.8% 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, 11.5% of pupils at Wistaston Church Lane Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.6% 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 2024–25 Wistaston Church Lane Academy received £6,643 and spent £6,673 for each of its 429 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £39,000 (-£91 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

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.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Crewe · Cheshire East local authority: places and applications

Wistaston Church Lane Academy is part of The Learning Partnership Academies Trust, which runs 15 schools. The nearest others:

• The Oaks Academy Crewe
• Shavington Primary School Crewe
• Crewe Engineering and Design UTC Crewe
• Cheshire Studio School Crewe
• Leighton Academy Crewe
• Sir William Stanier School Crewe
• Wheelock Primary School Sandbach
• Dove Bank Primary School Stoke-On-Trent
• Castle Primary School Stoke-On-Trent
• Congleton High School Congleton

What is Wistaston Church Lane Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Wistaston Church Lane Academy is Good, from an inspection in December 2024.

When was Wistaston Church Lane Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Wistaston Church Lane Academy was last inspected in December 2024.

How many pupils does Wistaston Church Lane Academy have?

Wistaston Church Lane Academy has 416 pupils on roll.

What age range does Wistaston Church Lane Academy cover?

Wistaston Church Lane Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Wistaston Church Lane Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 70% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Wistaston Church Lane Academy?

Wistaston Church Lane Academy is at Church Lane, Wistaston, Crewe, Cheshire, CW2 8EZ.