Wheelock Primary School, Sandbach
Wheelock Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Sandbach, part of The Learning Partnership Academies Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2024. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 5th-highest of the 8 schools in Sandbach with published results, and 8,618th of 14,452 across England. It was 89% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2024)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
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
Wheelock Primary School in detail
Wheelock Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Wheelock is a happy school where children are placed at the centre of everything that we do. We strive for all our children to achieve their full potential academically, socially and emotionally and to develop the necessary skills and confidence to be successful in their lives."
The school runs after-school care.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 82% of Year 6 pupils at Wheelock Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 67% 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 70% in reading and 57% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Wheelock Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 38 families put Wheelock Primary School as their first choice and 140 named it as one of their preferences, for 55 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Wheelock Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Wheelock Primary School are Sandbach Primary Academy (0.5 miles, Good, 75% reading, 75% maths); Elworth Hall Primary School (1.1 miles, 78% reading, 67% maths); Elworth CofE Primary School (1.1 miles, Good, 87% reading, 84% maths); and Offley Primary Academy (1.1 miles, Good, 85% reading, 85% maths).
Wheelock Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
Sandbach Primary AcademyElworth Hall Primary SchoolElworth CofE Primary SchoolOffley Primary Academy
The trust
Wheelock Primary School is one of 15 schools run by The Learning Partnership Academies Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 71% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
12.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 4.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (90%) and Mixed (5%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Sandbach Rail Station, about 1.3 miles away in a straight line.
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Lightley Close (cnr), 140 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Wheelock Primary School issued 12 suspensions, 3.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Wheelock Primary School are Sandbach School (0.6 miles) and Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College (0.7 miles).
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; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its January 2024 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
12.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 70% to 82% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 57% to 67% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 75% to 71% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
28.1
Avg class size
28.7
Infant (KS1)
27.8
KS2
14
Total classes
2 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Wheelock Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Wheelock Primary School.
- Sports Coaching Group at Sandbach School900m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Wheelock 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 Wheelock Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Wheelock 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
- 1
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 0 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 Wheelock Primary School
Will you get a place at Wheelock Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Wheelock Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Wheelock Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Wheelock 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 Wheelock 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
89%
Available places
373 pupils
420 places
47 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Sandbach
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Sandbach
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: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
56
SEN Support
18
EHC Plans
18.8%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
394
Total Pupils
177
Boys
217
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
21
Teachers
18.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,073
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£4,955
Per pupil
£1998k
Total funding
£64k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.5%
Overall absence
8.2%
Persistent absence
328
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Wheelock Primary School
Questions parents ask about Wheelock Primary School
What are SATs results like at Wheelock Primary School?
Of the pupils at Wheelock Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 82% reached the expected standard in reading and 67% did so in maths.
What is Wheelock Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Wheelock Primary School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in January 2024. At its previous graded inspection in 2011 it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Wheelock Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Wheelock 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 Wheelock Primary School?
Wheelock Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 89% of its 420 places.
How big are the classes at Wheelock Primary School?
Classes at Wheelock Primary School average 28.1 pupils (2025/26). 2 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Wheelock Primary School?
Wheelock Primary School has around 394 pupils on roll. 13% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Wheelock Primary School?
4.5% of sessions were missed at Wheelock Primary School in 2024/25. 8.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Wheelock Primary School?
Apply through Cheshire East's coordinated admissions process, naming Wheelock 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.
Does Wheelock Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Wheelock Primary School: Sports Coaching Group at Sandbach School (900m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Wheelock Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 0 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 Wheelock Primary School?
Wheelock Primary School is at Crewe Road, Sandbach, Cheshire, CW11 4PY.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)