Astbury St Mary's CofE Primary School
School Lane, Astbury, Congleton, CW12 4RG
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- CHESTER DIOCESAN ACADEMIES TRUST
- Headteacher
- Miss Philippa Blythe
- Diocese
- Diocese of Chester
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Diocese of Chester
- Constituency
- Congleton
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 120
- Pupils on roll
- 99
- URN
- 145720
- Local authority
- Cheshire East
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01260272528
About this school
Astbury St Mary's CofE Primary School is a Church of England primary academy in Congleton. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 99 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Astbury St Mary's CofE Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out 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
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 15 | 7 | 13 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 60% | 0% | 15% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 73% | 57% | 62% |
| Expected standard in maths | 60% | 71% | 31% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 67% | 43% | 69% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 103.0 | 100.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 100.0 | 104.0 | 99.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +2.60 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +0.10 | - | - |
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 Astbury St Mary's 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 | 60% | 61.4% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 0% | 60.7% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 15% | 61.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 82 |
| 2023/24 | 83 |
| 2024/25 | 95 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Astbury St Mary's CofE Primary School compares
Astbury St Mary's CofE Primary School ranked 112th of 114 primary schools in Cheshire East for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 5% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 36% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 15% | 6.1% | 12.1% | 99 | — |
| Marlfields Primary School | 28% | 6.3% | 34.4% | 177 | 0.8 miles |
| The Quinta Primary School | 65% | 4% | 10.5% | 491 | 0.9 miles |
| Saint Mary's Catholic Primary School | 53% | 4% | 15.4% | 183 | 1.2 miles |
| Daven Primary School | 61% | 8.5% | 57.8% | 137 | 1.2 miles |
| Black Firs Primary School | 68% | 4% | 6.4% | 372 | 1.4 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)
- 12.05%
- English as an additional language
- 3.2%
- Overall absence
- 6.12%
- Persistent absence
- 16.22%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Marlfields Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Congleton
-
The Quinta Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · Congleton
-
Saint Mary's Catholic Primary School1.2 miles
Primary · Congleton
-
Daven Primary School1.2 miles
Primary · Congleton
-
Black Firs Primary School1.4 miles
Primary · Congleton
Other schools in Congleton
Astbury St Mary's CofE Primary School ranks 9th of the 9 ranked primary schools in Congleton.
- Black Firs 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 ages does Astbury St Mary's CofE Primary School teach?
- Astbury St Mary's CofE Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Congleton.
- Who is the headteacher of Astbury St Mary's CofE Primary School?
- The headteacher of Astbury St Mary's CofE Primary School is Miss Philippa Blythe, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Astbury St Mary's CofE Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Astbury St Mary's 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 many pupils are at Astbury St Mary's CofE Primary School?
- Astbury St Mary's CofE Primary School has 99 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Astbury St Mary's CofE Primary School full?
- Astbury St Mary's CofE Primary School has capacity for 120 pupils and 99 on roll (83%), so it has space against 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 Astbury St Mary's CofE Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Astbury St Mary's CofE Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Chester.
- Does Astbury St Mary's CofE Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Astbury St Mary's CofE Primary School as having nursery classes.
- Is Astbury St Mary's CofE Primary School part of an academy trust?
- Astbury St Mary's CofE Primary School is part of CHESTER DIOCESAN ACADEMIES TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Astbury St Mary's CofE Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 60% in 2022/23 and 15% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Astbury St Mary's CofE Primary School compare with other schools in Cheshire East?
- Astbury St Mary's CofE Primary School ranked 112th of 114 primary schools in Cheshire East for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 5% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 36% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Astbury St Mary's CofE Primary School's absence rate?
- Astbury St Mary's CofE Primary School's overall absence rate is 6.1% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Astbury St Mary's CofE Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Astbury St Mary's 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 10 July 2026.