Marlfields Primary School

About Marlfields Primary School

Marlfields Primary School sits within the Cheshire East local authority, a large area with 123 primary schools where competition for places can be fierce. The school currently ranks 110th out of those 113 schools on its key stage 2 combined reading, writing and maths expected standard, placing it in the bottom half of the local league table. For context, the top-performing peers in the area include Peover Superior Endowed Primary School, Bexton Primary School and Ashdene Primary School, all of which achieve significantly higher ranking scores. Marlfields is a state-funded, mixed-gender primary for children aged 3 to 11, with a current roll of 182 pupils against a capacity of 206. The school has a nursery provision on site and does not have a sixth form. Its religious character is listed as not applicable. Headteacher Claire Sleath leads a school where 33.9 per cent of pupils are eligible for free school meals, a figure well above the national average.

Academically, the school’s most recent Ofsted inspection in March 2024 rated its overall effectiveness as Requires Improvement, a downgrade from its previous Good rating in 2010. The inspection found that quality of education and leadership and management both require improvement, while personal development, behaviour and attitudes, and early years provision were all judged Good. At key stage 2 in the 2023/24 academic year, 38 per cent of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with the Cheshire East local authority average of 64 per cent. In reading, 81 per cent met the expected standard and 19 per cent reached the higher standard; in maths, 62 per cent met the expected standard and 14 per cent reached the higher standard. Writing was a weaker area, with only 38 per cent reaching the expected standard and none achieving the higher standard. Nationally, the school ranks in the bottom 8 per cent of all primary schools on this combined measure.

Marlfields offers a range of facilities including an outdoor playground, forest school area, gymnasium, sensory room, dining hall and a chapel. Sports provision covers cross country, dance, athletics, tennis, swimming, cricket and football, while clubs include chess, film club, book club, choir, science club and gardening. The school has a broad set of SEND provisions, supporting pupils with moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, physical disabilities and autistic spectrum disorder. For the 2025/26 intake, the school was oversubscribed: 41 applications were received for 26 places, with 23 first-preference offers made. This suggests strong local demand despite the Requires Improvement rating. Families considering Marlfields should weigh its supportive SEND offer and wide extracurricular programme against the academic performance concerns flagged by Ofsted and the KS2 results.

Key Details

Frequently Asked Questions About Marlfields Primary School

Helpful Guides for Parents