Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School, Tarporley
Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Tarporley, part of Chester Diocesan Academies Trust. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2020. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in January 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 3rd-highest of the 6 schools in Tarporley with published results, and 3,408th of 14,452 across England. It was 90% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2020)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Cheshire East (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School in detail
Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School in its own words
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:30am and after-school care.
Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 94% of Year 6 pupils at Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 76% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 80% and 78% in Cheshire East and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 81% in reading and 69% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 28 families put Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School as their first choice and 45 named it as one of their preferences, for 30 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 1 family who put it first was not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School are Tarporley CofE Primary School (2.8 miles, Good, 96% reading, 89% maths); Calveley Primary Academy (2.9 miles, Good, 88% reading, 88% maths); Eaton Primary School (3.5 miles, Good, 79% reading, 90% maths); and Huxley CofE Primary School (3.7 miles, 50% reading, 33% maths).
Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.
Tarporley CofE Primary SchoolCalveley Primary AcademyEaton Primary SchoolHuxley CofE Primary School
The trust
Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School is one of 32 schools run by Chester Diocesan Academies Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 49% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
104 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School (as of September 2025): 92% would recommend the school, 95% say their child is happy there and 65% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (98%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (65%).
Who goes there
3.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 43 pupils (21.5%) received SEN support and 1 (0.5%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is social, emotional and mental health needs.
Staffing
Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School had 13 teachers in 2026, one for every 15 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School.
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Primary School (outside), 40 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 1 crime within a mile of the school, most often public order offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Cheshire East (61).
Suspensions and exclusions
Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from January 2020, 6 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's January 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
The school excels at creating a caring environment where children develop excellent attitudes to learning and strong character. Teachers have expert subject knowledge and check pupil understanding regularly to address any gaps. The school goes beyond academics, helping children develop life skills like resilience, healthy relationships, and understanding of respect and tolerance.
Key Strengths
- Strong teaching with well-sequenced curriculum that builds deep understanding across subjects - particularly reading and mathematics
- Excellent behaviour and personal development, with pupils embodying school values of being safe, kind and respectful
- Effective support for pupils with SEND and high attendance rates
- Fostering a love of reading through phonics training and varied book access
- Wide range of enrichment activities building character and team skills
Areas for Improvement
- Variability in the quality of pupils' writing, though the school has recently introduced a new writing curriculum and staff training to address this
- Need to continue supporting staff to ensure the new writing curriculum is delivered effectively
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with staff creating an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
School Fest, sporting events with neighbouring schools, board games and cooking with ALIVE community group, school council roles, head boy and girl positions, transition support with local high school
Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School has maintained its good standards since the previous inspection. The school provides a caring, nurturing environment where pupils are happy, safe, and display exemplary behaviour.
At a Glance
3.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
104 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 81% to 94% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 69% to 76% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 47% to 82% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
25.0
Avg class size
27.3
Infant (KS1)
22.3
KS2
8
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School
Newsletter 5: 2.10.26
2 Oct 2026
Newsletter 17
Newsletter 18
Y5/6 Netball Tournament Report
Newsletter 19
Newsletter 20
From Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School
Term dates
Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Cheshire East's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School is in Cheshire East; for families living there:
- Cheshire East's school travel policy: Compulsory school age travel policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 2
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 2 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Cheshire East is 6 (the median across 180 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School
Will you get a place at Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Cheshire East, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School for 2017 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Cheshire East got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
90%
Near capacity
190 pupils
210 places
20 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Tarporley
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Tarporley
Across Cheshire East council
Places available
4,535
Applications
3,733
Got 1st preference
92.3%
Got preferred school
98.6%
All primary applications across Cheshire East council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(3)
Ungraded inspection: Standards have been maintained.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
43
SEN Support
1
EHC Plans
22.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
200
Total Pupils
90
Boys
110
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
13
Teachers
15.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,409
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£4,991
Per pupil
£1008k
Total funding
£11k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.1%
Overall absence
8.3%
Persistent absence
169
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School
What are SATs results like at Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School?
Of the pupils at Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 94% reached the expected standard in reading and 76% did so in maths.
What is Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in January 2020, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School is oversubscribed, Cheshire East allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School?
Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 90% of its 210 places.
How big are the classes at Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School?
Classes at Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School average 25 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School?
Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School has around 200 pupils on roll. 4% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School?
4.1% of sessions were missed at Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School in 2024/25. 8.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School?
Apply through Cheshire East's coordinated admissions process, naming Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 2 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Cheshire East is 6 (the median across 180 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School?
Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School is at School Lane, Bunbury, Tarporley, Cheshire, CW6 9NR.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)