Smallwood CofE Primary School
School Lane, Sandbach, CW11 2UR
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- THE SMALLWOOD ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Iestyn Lewis
- Diocese
- Diocese of Chester
- Constituency
- Congleton
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 140
- Pupils on roll
- 178
- URN
- 140894
- Local authority
- Cheshire East
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01477500362
About this school
Smallwood CofE Primary School is a Church of England primary academy in Sandbach. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 178 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 3 July 2024, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 31 | 21 | 23 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 74% | 90% | 43% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 3% | 14% | 4% |
| Expected standard in reading | 87% | 95% | 65% |
| Expected standard in maths | 81% | 90% | 61% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 84% | 90% | 74% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 109.0 | 103.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 105.0 | 102.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.30 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.40 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Smallwood CofE Primary School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Cheshire East average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 74% | 61.4% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 90% | 60.7% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 43% | 61.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 181 |
| 2023/24 | 178 |
| 2024/25 | 183 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Smallwood CofE Primary School compares
Smallwood CofE Primary School ranked 105th of 114 primary schools in Cheshire East for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 14% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 79% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 43% | 4.2% | 8.2% | 178 | — |
| Rode Heath Primary School | 84% | 3.7% | 11.3% | 245 | 1.7 miles |
| St John's CofE Academy | — | 8.1% | 20.5% | 154 | 2.1 miles |
| Scholar Green Primary School | 63% | 3.6% | 14.4% | 227 | 2.6 miles |
| Pikemere School | 77% | 3.6% | 8.8% | 254 | 2.6 miles |
| Astbury St Mary's CofE Primary School | 15% | 6.1% | 12.1% | 99 | 2.7 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 8.2%
- English as an additional language
- 3.8%
- Overall absence
- 4.21%
- Persistent absence
- 9.32%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Rode Heath Primary School1.7 miles
Primary · Stoke-on-Trent
-
St John's CofE Academy2.1 miles
Primary · Sandbach
-
Scholar Green Primary School2.6 miles
Primary · Stoke-on-Trent
-
Pikemere School2.6 miles
Primary · Alsager
-
Astbury St Mary's CofE Primary School2.7 miles
Primary · Congleton
Other schools in Sandbach
Smallwood CofE Primary School ranks 7th of the 8 ranked primary schools in Sandbach.
- Brereton CofE Primary School Primary
- Elworth CofE Primary School Primary
- Elworth Hall Primary School Primary
- Offley Primary Academy Primary
- Sandbach Primary Academy Primary
- St John's CofE Academy Primary
- Warmingham CofE Primary School Primary
- Wheelock Primary School Primary
- Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College Secondary
- Sandbach School Secondary
- Cheshire Hall School Special schools
- The Lodge AP Independent schools
Common questions
- What year groups does Smallwood CofE Primary School teach?
- Smallwood CofE Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Sandbach.
- Who is the headteacher of Smallwood CofE Primary School?
- The headteacher of Smallwood CofE Primary School is Mr Iestyn Lewis, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Smallwood CofE Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Smallwood CofE Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is Smallwood CofE Primary School?
- Smallwood CofE Primary School has 178 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Smallwood CofE Primary School full?
- Smallwood CofE Primary School has capacity for 140 pupils and 178 on roll (127%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Smallwood CofE Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Smallwood CofE Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Chester.
- Does Smallwood CofE Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Smallwood CofE Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- Who runs Smallwood CofE Primary School?
- Smallwood CofE Primary School is part of THE SMALLWOOD ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Smallwood CofE Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 74% in 2022/23 and 43% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Smallwood CofE Primary School rank locally?
- Smallwood CofE Primary School ranked 105th of 114 primary schools in Cheshire East for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 14% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 79% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Smallwood CofE Primary School's absence rate?
- Smallwood CofE Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.2% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Smallwood CofE Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Smallwood CofE Primary School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 1 July 2026.