Wharton CofE Primary School

About Wharton CofE Primary School

Wharton CofE Primary School sits within the Cheshire West and Chester local authority, a large primary landscape of 128 schools where it currently ranks 107th on the key stage 2 expected standard measure. That places it in the bottom half of the LA table, some distance behind the top-performing local peers — Bishop Wilson Church of England Primary School, Delamere CofE Primary Academy and Childer Thornton Primary School all score above 90 on the ranking metric. The nearest outstanding-rated school is Wimboldsley Community Primary School, about 3.9 kilometres away. Wharton itself was judged Good in its most recent Ofsted inspection in October 2024, a notable improvement from its previous Requires Improvement rating in 2021. The inspection report gave Good marks across all five graded categories — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision — suggesting the school has stabilised under headteacher Natalie Tomlinson.

Academically, the school's key stage 2 results for 2023/24 show a mixed picture. Just 29 per cent of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, well below the LA average of 61 per cent. Reading was the strongest individual subject, with 67 per cent meeting the expected standard and 17 per cent reaching the higher standard. Maths was weaker, with 38 per cent at expected and an average scaled score of 96, while writing sat at 56 per cent expected and no pupils reached the higher standard. The school's national ranking on the combined measure places it in the bottom 3 per cent of all primary schools, and it sits in the bottom 50 tier nationally. Progress scores are not available in the data, so it is unclear whether pupils typically arrive below age-related expectations or whether the school is adding value over time. The parent view survey, based on 23 responses, shows 65 per cent would recommend the school, though 35 per cent would not.

The school operates as a Church of England primary with a capacity of 420 but currently has just 235 pupils on roll, leaving significant room for growth. It was oversubscribed for 2025/26 reception places, with 32 first-preference applications for 32 places and 45 total applications, giving a ratio of 1.41 applicants per place. Facilities include a gymnasium, sports hall, music rooms, art studios, ICT suite and a chapel, with clubs ranging from coding and chess to gardening and eco club. Sports offered include netball, athletics, rounders and dance. The school lists SEND provisions covering specific learning difficulties, moderate learning difficulty, speech and language needs, and social, emotional and mental health support, though the parent view data shows no responses from parents of SEND children, so it is difficult to gauge how well those provisions are received in practice. Wharton may suit families who value the Church of England character and the smaller-than-capacity roll, but the below-average attainment figures are worth weighing carefully.

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