Black Firs Primary School
Longdown Road, Congleton, CW12 4QJ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- THE LEARNING PARTNERSHIP ACADEMIES TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Anna Jones
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Congleton
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 280
- Pupils on roll
- 372
- URN
- 140981
- Local authority
- Cheshire East
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01260272935
About this school
Black Firs Primary School is a primary academy in Congleton. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 372 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. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 12 October 2022, 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 | 45 | 45 | 47 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 76% | 44% | 68% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 4% | 2% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 82% | 82% | 83% |
| Expected standard in maths | 93% | 62% | 79% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 84% | 71% | 74% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 107.0 | 105.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 106.0 | 103.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.20 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.40 | - | - |
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 Black Firs 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 | 76% | 61.4% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 44% | 60.7% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 68% | 61.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 368 |
| 2023/24 | 367 |
| 2024/25 | 365 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Black Firs Primary School compares
Black Firs Primary School ranked 55th of 114 primary schools in Cheshire East for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 61% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 85% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 68% | 4% | 6.4% | 372 | — |
| The Quinta Primary School | 65% | 4% | 10.5% | 491 | 0.5 miles |
| Saint Mary's Catholic Primary School | 53% | 4% | 15.4% | 183 | 1.2 miles |
| Marlfields Primary School | 28% | 6.3% | 34.4% | 177 | 1.2 miles |
| Astbury St Mary's CofE Primary School | 15% | 6.1% | 12.1% | 99 | 1.4 miles |
| Daven Primary School | 61% | 8.5% | 57.8% | 137 | 1.7 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)
- 6.39%
- English as an additional language
- 0.5%
- Overall absence
- 3.95%
- Persistent absence
- 5.93%
Location
Nearby schools
-
The Quinta Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Congleton
-
Saint Mary's Catholic Primary School1.2 miles
Primary · Congleton
-
Marlfields Primary School1.2 miles
Primary · Congleton
-
Astbury St Mary's CofE Primary School1.4 miles
Primary · Congleton
-
Daven Primary School1.7 miles
Primary · Congleton
Other schools in Congleton
Black Firs Primary School ranks 2nd of the 9 ranked primary schools in Congleton.
- Astbury St Mary's CofE Primary School Primary
- Buglawton Primary School Primary
- Daven Primary School Primary
- Havannah Primary School Primary
- Marlfields Primary School Primary
- Mossley CofE Primary School Primary
- Saint Mary's Catholic Primary School Primary
- The Quinta Primary School Primary
- Congleton High School Secondary
- Eaton Bank Academy Secondary
- Aidenswood School Special schools
- Esland Daven School Special schools
Common questions
- What year groups does Black Firs Primary School teach?
- Black Firs Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Congleton.
- Who is the headteacher of Black Firs Primary School?
- The headteacher of Black Firs Primary School is Mrs Anna Jones, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Black Firs Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Black Firs 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 Black Firs Primary School?
- Black Firs Primary School has 372 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Black Firs Primary School full?
- Black Firs Primary School has capacity for 280 pupils and 372 on roll (133%), 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 Black Firs Primary School a faith school?
- No. Black Firs Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Black Firs Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Black Firs Primary School as having nursery classes.
- Who runs Black Firs Primary School?
- Black Firs Primary School is part of THE LEARNING PARTNERSHIP ACADEMIES TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Black Firs Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 76% in 2022/23 and 68% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Black Firs Primary School rank locally?
- Black Firs Primary School ranked 55th of 114 primary schools in Cheshire East for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 61% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 85% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Black Firs Primary School's absence rate?
- Black Firs Primary School's overall absence rate is 4% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Black Firs Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Black Firs 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.