Wistaston Church Lane Academy
Church Lane, Wistaston, Crewe, CW2 8EZ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- THE LEARNING PARTNERSHIP ACADEMIES TRUST
- Acting Headteacher
- Mrs Cathy Elsley
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Crewe and Nantwich
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 433
- Pupils on roll
- 416
- URN
- 141568
- Local authority
- Cheshire East
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01270663619
About this school
Wistaston Church Lane Academy is a primary academy in Crewe. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 416 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
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 20 November 2024, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. 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 | 60 | 61 | 61 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 82% | 90% | 70% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 15% | 21% | 13% |
| Expected standard in reading | 87% | 95% | 75% |
| Expected standard in maths | 87% | 93% | 82% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 85% | 89% | 72% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 107.0 | 110.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 108.0 | 109.0 | 107.0 |
| Reading progress | +2.90 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +2.00 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +3.90 | - | - |
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 Wistaston Church Lane Academy 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 | 82% | 61.4% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 90% | 60.7% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 70% | 61.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 412 |
| 2023/24 | 433 |
| 2024/25 | 432 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Wistaston Church Lane Academy compares
Wistaston Church Lane Academy ranked 47th of 114 primary schools in Cheshire East for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 66% 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 | 70% | 4.2% | 8.3% | 416 | — |
| St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Crewe | 48% | 6% | 19.6% | 558 | 0.8 miles |
| Wistaston Academy | 80% | 4.5% | 31.3% | 491 | 0.8 miles |
| Willaston Primary Academy | 58% | 3.5% | 13.1% | 251 | 0.8 miles |
| Vine Tree Primary School | 40% | 5.9% | 18.3% | 200 | 0.9 miles |
| The Berkeley Academy | 80% | 3.9% | 10.3% | 456 | 1.0 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)
- 8.25%
- English as an additional language
- 2.3%
- Overall absence
- 4.23%
- Persistent absence
- 8.06%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Crewe0.8 miles
Primary · Crewe
-
Wistaston Academy0.8 miles
Primary · Crewe
-
Willaston Primary Academy0.8 miles
Primary · Nantwich
-
Vine Tree Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · Crewe
-
The Berkeley Academy1.0 miles
Primary · Crewe
Other schools in Crewe
Wistaston Church Lane Academy ranks 8th of the 25 ranked primary schools in Crewe.
- Audlem St James' CofE Primary School Primary
- Beechwood Primary School and Nursery Primary
- Betley CofE VC Primary School Primary
- Brierley Primary School Primary
- Edleston Primary School Primary
- Gainsborough Primary & Nursery Academy Primary
- Haslington Primary Academy Primary
- Hermitage Primary School Primary
- Holmes Chapel Primary School Primary
- Hungerford Primary Academy Primary
- Leighton Academy Primary
- Mablins Lane Community Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Wistaston Church Lane Academy teach?
- Wistaston Church Lane Academy teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Crewe.
- Who is the acting headteacher of Wistaston Church Lane Academy?
- The acting headteacher of Wistaston Church Lane Academy is Mrs Cathy Elsley, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Wistaston Church Lane Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Wistaston Church Lane Academy, 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 Wistaston Church Lane Academy?
- Wistaston Church Lane Academy has 416 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Wistaston Church Lane Academy full?
- Wistaston Church Lane Academy has capacity for 433 pupils and 416 on roll (96%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Wistaston Church Lane Academy a faith school?
- No. Wistaston Church Lane Academy has no designated religious character.
- Does Wistaston Church Lane Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Wistaston Church Lane Academy as having nursery classes.
- Who runs Wistaston Church Lane Academy?
- Wistaston Church Lane Academy 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 Wistaston Church Lane Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 82% in 2022/23 and 70% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Wistaston Church Lane Academy rank locally?
- Wistaston Church Lane Academy ranked 47th of 114 primary schools in Cheshire East for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 66% 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 Wistaston Church Lane Academy's absence rate?
- Wistaston Church Lane Academy's overall absence rate is 4.2% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Wistaston Church Lane Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Wistaston Church Lane Academy'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.