School Chooser

Gawsworth Primary School

Primary · ages 4-11MixedAcademy198 pupilsMacclesfieldCheshire East
School Chooser Score
63
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 39 to 81
Out of 100. Better than 19% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
OfstedStrong teachingOfsted report card, January 2026
Reached the expected level at 1166%England 63%
Attendance96.6%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families5%Far fewer than most schools
Parents would recommend98%97 Parent View responses
Places12 spare198 pupils, 210 places

Gawsworth Primary School is a converter academy in Macclesfield for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 198 pupils and room for 210. About 4 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 63 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 19% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted visited in January 2026 and gave it a report card, which is below.

Longbutts Lane, Gawsworth, Macclesfield, SK11 9QU01625 426547gawsworth.ht.schoolMrs Lisa Wainwright headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted visited on 13 January 2026. Instead of one overall word, it now gives a grade for each part of school life. Read the full report on Ofsted's website.

TeachingOfsted calls this “curriculum and teaching”
Strong
Achievement
As expected
Behaviour and attendanceOfsted calls this “attendance and behaviour”
As expected
Support for every childOfsted calls this “inclusion”
Strong
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development and wellbeing”
As expected
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and governance”
Strong
Early years
Strong
SafeguardingAre pupils kept safe?
Pupils are kept safe
Met
Ofsted's scale:ExceptionalStrong standardExpected standardNeeds attentionUrgent improvement

Ofsted says these new grades can't be lined up against the old one-word grades.

Earlier inspections (1)
DateTypeOutcome
15 September 2021UngradedSchool remains Good

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

29 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1166%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level0%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score104.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score103.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 78%78%20172018: 67%67%20182019: 50%50%20192023: 63%63%20232024: 64%64%20242025: 66%66%2025
Since 2017: -12%Steady overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017†Cheshire EastEngland
Pupils tested292830263027
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths66%64%63%50%67%78%65%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%12%3%11%7%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score104.0106.0105.0103.0108.0109.0106.2105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score103.0106.0103.0102.0104.0107.0105.1104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score106.0108.0106.0104.0107.0108.0106.0105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard72%82%83%69%90%89%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard83%89%73%62%77%85%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)86%64%77%100%77%85%
Reading progressReading progress score-0.1-3.9+1.1+0.6
Maths progressMaths progress score-1.5-4.9-1.5-0.6
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged33%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged75%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

† These results are for Gawsworth Primary School, the school this one replaced in July 2017. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. None of the gaps is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
50%80%
Gap 30 ptsEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Open to all. There is no entrance test.

Catchment area

Cheshire East council has drawn an official catchment area for this school. You can see it on the map below; it covers about 22 square kilometres. Living inside it moves your child up the queue when there are more applicants than places. It doesn't guarantee a place: the council's admissions rules decide the order.

Set your home postcode at the top of the page to see whether you live inside it.

A few spare places198 pupils for 210 places, 2024/25
94% full

About 12 places were empty, so most families who apply get in, though a popular year group can still fill up. Pupil numbers have fallen by 3% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Cheshire East council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

What a home inside the catchment costs

Typical sale price inside the catchment£517,500half sold for £378k to £700k
Homes sold30December 2023 to December 2025, Land Registry
Compared with the district+73%a typical home in the district sells for £300,000

Every home sold inside the council's catchment area, of any type, from HM Land Registry records. If homes here cost more than the district average, that is the price people pay to live close enough to get in.

What parents say

Would recommend the school98%England 87%
My child is happy here99%agree or strongly agree
My child feels safe99%
Positive overall93%
My child is happy at this school
99%England 89%
My child feels safe at this school
99%England 90%
Pupils are well behavedThe school makes sure its pupils are well behaved
92%England 83%
Has your child been bullied here?Parents answering yes
6% yesEngland 18%
Bullying was dealt with quickly and effectivelyOnly parents whose child was bullied
50%England 50%
My child gets the right support to learn well
90%England 85%
Does your child have SEND?Parents answering yes
18% yesEngland 26%
The school gives them the support they needOnly parents of children with SEND
59%England 71%
The school communicates well with me
90%England 80%
My concerns have been dealt with properlyWhen I have raised concerns
82%England 69%
Decisions put the child's best interests first
90%England 82%
I would recommend this school
98%England 87%
Overall view of the school is positive
93%England 82%
Strongly agreeAgreeDon't knowDisagreeStrongly disagreeEngland, agree or yes

From Ofsted's Parent View survey: 97 parents answered in the year to 6 April 2026. Parents choose whether to fill it in, and many only do so when an inspection is coming, so don't read too much into small differences. The England figures are the average for primary schools with enough answers to publish.

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll198Census January 2026
Places21094% full
Pupils from low-income families5%5% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English1%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support8%16 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan7%13 pupils with a plan
Average class size28.06 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils33%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)3%£9,300 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls114 / 84
White British pupils94%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 27.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 28.5 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (11), Specific learning difficulty (7), Other difficulty or disability (3), language and communications needs (3), emotional and mental health (2), Moderate learning difficulty (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll198194188201203203
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals5%5%3%3%4%5%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language1%1%2%1%1%1%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support14%19%11%8%6%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans5%3%4%2%2%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 96.6% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance96.6%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school5.9%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission0.7%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence3.4%4.2%5.2%4.4%2.9%2.6%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence2.7%3.4%4.3%3.9%2.5%2.2%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.7%0.9%0.9%0.5%0.4%0.5%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence5.9%7.6%8.6%10.7%7.9%0.6%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.00.00.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers8.5full-time equivalent, 10 people
Pupils per teacher23.3Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants7.5full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£50,256
Teachers who left in the year12%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher5.62024/25

Money

From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£5,867England £7,128. Total £1.1m
Income per pupil£5,944England £7,587. Total £1.2m
Spent on teachers per pupil£2,790England £3,405
Money in reserve6%Not much put by: £73k, £376 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£15kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£5,867spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m912 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate35 per 1,000 people61% lower than the England average
Typical house price£300,000Cheshire East
Nearest bus stop40 mPrimary School, 7 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Ivy Bank Primary SchoolAcademy1.4 miles387Good 202350Compare
Ash Grove AcademyAcademy1.7 miles227Outstanding 202472Compare
Broken Cross Primary Academy and NurseryAcademy1.8 miles233Good 202432Compare
St John the Evangelist CofE Primary School MacclesfieldChurch of England1.8 miles237Good 202357Compare
Christ The King Catholic and Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy1.9 miles84No overall grade 202570Compare
Whirley Primary SchoolAcademy2.3 miles212Good 202277Compare
Parkroyal Community SchoolAcademy2.3 miles411Report card 202636Compare
Hollinhey Primary SchoolAcademy2.3 miles248Good 202331Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Gawsworth Primary School with the 48 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 48 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats19%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the bottom quarter of its group. Its score of 63 is 16 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 20 · middle 79 · highest 99100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 48 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Gawsworth Primary School, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.

SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Whirley Primary SchoolAcademy2.3 miles212Good 202277Compare
Dean Valley Community Primary SchoolCouncil4.9 miles199Good 202379Compare
Rainow Primary SchoolCouncil5.0 miles194No overall grade 202494Compare
St Luke's CofE Academy EndonAcademy11.0 miles213No overall grade 202495Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 63 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 63% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 39 to 81. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years25%in line
+0.03
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 29 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%in line
+0.06
Ofsted report card, 0.7 years old
Progress pupils make20%in line
-0.02
DfE progress measure; 29 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%in line
+0.00
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%well above
+0.11
2024/25; 169 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%below
-0.08
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 29 pupils
What parents say5%well above
+0.05
Ofsted's Parent View survey, allowing for how many parents replied; 97 responses

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Gawsworth Primary School a good school?

It is about average. Gawsworth Primary School scores 63 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 19% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 39 to 81, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is Gawsworth Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted no longer gives schools one overall grade. When it visited on 13 January 2026 it rated teaching as strong, achievement as as expected, behaviour and attendance as as expected, leadership as strong.

How good are Gawsworth Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 66% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Gawsworth Primary School have?

198 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 210 places, so it is 94% full.

Is Gawsworth Primary School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 12 places were empty in 2024/25 (6% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Gawsworth Primary School?

Pupils were in school 96.6% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 6% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

What do parents say about Gawsworth Primary School?

98% of the 97 parents who answered Ofsted's Parent View survey would recommend it to other parents, and 99% say their child is happy there. Across England, 87% of parents would recommend their child's school.

How big are the classes at Gawsworth Primary School?

The average class had 28.0 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 33% of classes had more than 30 pupils.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Longbutts Lane, Gawsworth, Macclesfield, SK11 9QU
Telephone
01625 426547
Website
gawsworth.ht.school
Headteacher
Mrs Lisa Wainwright
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
Halliard Trust (12 schools)
Local authority
Cheshire East
Ward
Gawsworth
Constituency
Macclesfield
Setting
Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
Opened
1 July 2017 (academy converter)
URN
144833 · LAESTAB 8952154 · UKPRN 10064467
Formerly
Gawsworth Primary School

Where these figures come from