Wistaston Academy, Crewe
Wistaston Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Crewe, part of Wistaston Academy Trust. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in July 2024. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 2nd-highest of the 25 schools in Crewe with published results, and 1,291st of 14,452 across England. It was full in 2025, at 104% of capacity.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2024)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- 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
Wistaston Academy in detail
Wistaston Academy in its own words
In its own words: "Our curriculum is driven by the need to prepare our children for lifelong learning. At Wistaston Academy, we offer a rich and vibrant curriculum which is ambitious for all learners."
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:30am and after-school care.
Vision and values (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 86% of Year 6 pupils at Wistaston Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 96% 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 75% in reading and 87% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Wistaston Academy
For September 2026 entry, 67 families put Wistaston Academy as their first choice and 139 named it as one of their preferences, for 59 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 9 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Wistaston Academy are St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Crewe (0.3 miles, Good, 57% reading, 53% maths); Gainsborough Primary & Nursery Academy (0.4 miles); Vine Tree Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 75% reading, 80% maths); and Edleston Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 72% reading, 79% maths).
Wistaston Academy's 2025 results were higher than all 3 of them.
St Mary's Catholic Primary School, CreweGainsborough Primary & Nursery AcademyVine Tree Primary SchoolEdleston Primary School
The trust
Wistaston Academy is run by its own single-school academy trust.
Who goes there
In 2026, 66 pupils (13.4%) received SEN support and 40 (8.1%) 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 speech, language and communication needs.
Wistaston Academy has a SEN unit for speech, language and communication needs and autism: 24 places, 34 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Crewe Rail Station, about 1.3 miles away in a straight line.
13 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Capenhurst Avenue (opposite), 80 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 224 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and public order offences. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Cheshire East (61), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Wistaston Academy issued 4 suspensions, 0.8 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Wistaston Academy are St Thomas More Catholic High School (0.3 miles), The Oaks Academy (0.4 miles), Ruskin Community High School (0.8 miles) and Crewe Engineering and Design UTC (1.2 miles).
St Thomas More Catholic High SchoolThe Oaks AcademyRuskin Community High SchoolCrewe Engineering and Design UTC
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils blossom at Wistaston Academy. They are proud to attend this remarkable school. Pupils, who shared their views with inspectors, said that their school is a fun place to learn. They are happy in school and enjoy building fond memories with their friends.
Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), live up to the school's high expectations for their learning and their personal development. Pupils achieve exceptionally well. They become confident and passionate learners. Pupils are excited to discover new information and appreciate the many worthwhile learning opportunities that the school provides.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school has constructed a broad and highly ambitious curriculum that defines clearly what pupils should learn from the Nursery class until the end of Year 6. Pupils progress tremendously well through the curriculum. They are incredibly well prepared for the next stage of their learning.
Staff feel valued. They are proud to work at the school. The school takes staff's well-being into account when making any changes. For example, the training that staff receive to support them in the delivery of the curriculum has been very well received. This is because staff can see that this guidance makes a difference to pupils' learning.
From Ofsted's July 2024 inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Outstanding at its July 2024 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
30.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
SEN unit: Speech and language, Autism
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 75% to 86% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 87% to 96% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 86% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
21.7
Avg class size
25.2
Infant (KS1)
29.6
KS2
20
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Wistaston Academy
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Wistaston Academy.
- Sports Coaching Group at Vine Tree Primary School640m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Wistaston Academy 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 Wistaston Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Wistaston Academy 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
- 18
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 6
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 18 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 15 slight.
6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot and 2 on a bicycle.
5 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 Wistaston Academy
Will you get a place at Wistaston Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Wistaston Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Wistaston Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Wistaston Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Cheshire East, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Wistaston Academy for 2015 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
104%
Over capacity
435 pupils
420 places
15 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Crewe
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Crewe
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)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
66
SEN Support
40
EHC Plans
21.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Wistaston Academy has a SEN unit for speech, language and communication needs and autism: 24 places, 34 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
491
Total Pupils
271
Boys
220
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
23
Teachers
21.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£43,266
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,668
Per pupil
£2808k
Total funding
£197k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.5%
Overall absence
8.3%
Persistent absence
385
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
Questions parents ask about Wistaston Academy
What are SATs results like at Wistaston Academy?
Of the pupils at Wistaston Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 86% reached the expected standard in reading and 96% did so in maths.
What is Wistaston Academy's Ofsted rating?
Wistaston Academy was rated Outstanding at its most recent Ofsted inspection in July 2024.
What is the catchment area for Wistaston Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Wistaston Academy 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 Wistaston Academy?
Wistaston Academy was full in 2025, at 104% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Wistaston Academy?
Classes at Wistaston Academy average 21.7 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Wistaston Academy?
Wistaston Academy has around 491 pupils on roll. 31% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Wistaston Academy have specialist SEN provision?
Wistaston Academy has a SEN unit for speech, language and communication needs and autism: 24 places, 34 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Wistaston Academy?
4.5% of sessions were missed at Wistaston Academy in 2024/25. 8.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Wistaston Academy?
Apply through Cheshire East's coordinated admissions process, naming Wistaston Academy 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 Wistaston Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Wistaston Academy: Sports Coaching Group at Vine Tree Primary School (640m 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 Wistaston Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 18 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 15 slight. 6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot and 2 on a bicycle. 5 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 Wistaston Academy?
Wistaston Academy is at Moreton Road, Crewe, Cheshire, CW2 8QS.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)