St. Benedict's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy
St. Benedict's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy is a converter academy in Wilmslow for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 202 pupils and room for 210. About 24 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, about the same as most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2022.
Hall Road, Handforth, Wilmslow, SK9 3AE01625 520207stbenedicts.cheshire.sch.ukMrs Hannah McGuire headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
A shorter visit on 9 February 2022 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Good overall. A shorter follow-up visit found nothing to change that. The last full inspection was before September 2019, which is as far back as Ofsted's public records go, so we can't show its date or the grades for each area.
This inspection is more than 4 years old. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of one grade.
Results
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025
28 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. These are the results of St Benedict's Catholic Primary School, the school this one replaced.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025† | 2024† | 2023† | 2019† | 2018† | 2017† | Cheshire East | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 28 | 31 | 29 | 29 | 26 | 29 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 50% | 55% | 55% | 62% | 69% | 66% | 65% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 6% | 0% | 14% | 4% | 0% | 7% | 8% |
| Reading scoreReading average scaled score | 105.0 | 106.0 | 103.0 | 105.0 | 105.0 | 106.0 | 106.2 | 105.6 |
| Maths scoreMaths average scaled score | 105.0 | 105.0 | 105.0 | 107.0 | 105.0 | 104.0 | 105.1 | 104.6 |
| Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score | 103.0 | 106.0 | 104.0 | 106.0 | 109.0 | 109.0 | 106.0 | 105.2 |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | 68% | 81% | 69% | 69% | 81% | 79% | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | 71% | 71% | 83% | 83% | 88% | 69% | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | 64% | 61% | 69% | 79% | 81% | 79% | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | -0.8 | -2.2 | -2.6 | +0.9 | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | +1.4 | +0.1 | -1.1 | -0.6 | – | – |
| Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged | 25% | 33% | 25% | 40% | – | 22% | – | – |
| Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged | 60% | 64% | 67% | 74% | – | 85% | – | – |
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 St Benedict's Catholic Primary School, the school this one replaced in April 2025. 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. 1 of the 3 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
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
Admissions policy not published. As a Catholic school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.
Fewer than one place in twenty is empty, so in most years more families apply than there are places. Living close by, or already having a child here, makes a real difference.
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.
Who goes here
Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (11), Specific learning difficulty (8), language and communications needs (8), Moderate learning difficulty (7), Autistic spectrum disorder (4), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (3).
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.1% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25† | 2023/24† | 2022/23† | 2021/22† | 2020/21† | 2018/19† | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 4.9% | 6.0% | 6.6% | 5.8% | 3.1% | 3.9% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 3.9% | 4.5% | 5.4% | 5.1% | 2.7% | 3.2% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 1.1% | 1.5% | 1.1% | 0.7% | 0.4% | 0.7% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 11.1% | 16.4% | 18.6% | 12.9% | 6.3% | 6.2% | 12.8% |
† These attendance figures are for St Benedict's Catholic Primary School, the school this one replaced in April 2025. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
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.
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
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.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Handforth Grange Primary School | Academy | 0.6 miles | 340 | Outstanding 2024 | 90 | Compare |
| The Wilmslow Academy | Academy | 0.7 miles | 389 | Not inspected | 28 | Compare |
| Outwood Primary School | Council | 1.2 miles | 202 | Good 2023 | 50 | Compare |
| Thorn Grove Primary School | Council | 1.2 miles | 214 | Good 2024 | 84 | Compare |
| Lacey Green Primary Academy | Academy | 1.3 miles | 424 | Good 2023 | 96 | Compare |
| Bolshaw Primary School | Academy | 1.4 miles | 203 | Good 2022 | – | Compare |
| Moss Hey Primary School | Council | 1.4 miles | 186 | Report card 2026 | 86 | Compare |
| Hursthead Infant School | Council | 1.5 miles | 244 | Good 2023 | 73 | Compare |
Questions parents ask
Is St. Benedict's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy a good school?
St. Benedict's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it good at its last inspection in February 2022.
What is St. Benedict's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated St. Benedict's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy good at its last full inspection on 9 February 2022. That was more than four years ago. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of a single grade.
How good are St. Benedict's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy's SATs results?
In summer 2025, 50% 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 St. Benedict's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy have?
202 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 210 places, so it is 96% full.
Is St. Benedict's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy oversubscribed?
Often. Fewer than one place in twenty was empty in 2024/25, so popular year groups fill up.
What is attendance like at St. Benedict's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy?
Pupils were in school 95.1% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 11% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Hall Road, Handforth, Wilmslow, SK9 3AE
- Telephone
- 01625 520207
- Website
- stbenedicts.cheshire.sch.uk
- Headteacher
- Mrs Hannah McGuire
- Type of school
- Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
- Phase
- Primary school, ages 4-11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Catholic, Diocese of Shrewsbury
- Multi-academy trust
- Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Academy Trust (16 schools)
- Local authority
- Cheshire East
- Ward
- Handforth
- Constituency
- Tatton
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 April 2025 (academy converter)
- URN
- 151267 · LAESTAB 8953513 · UKPRN 10096361
- Formerly
- St Benedict's Catholic Primary School
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- Year 6 results: DfE key stage 2 tables, 2024/25.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.