The Quinta Primary School Review 2026: Ambitious learning, strong Key Stage 2 outcomes, and a full early years route

A large, oversubscribed primary in West Heath, Congleton, this is a school that runs on clear routines and high expectations, while still making time for the parts of childhood that matter. The tone is purposeful, with pupils recognised for effort and good conduct, and with a culture that encourages children to take responsibility, whether through buddy roles, the school shop, or student-led broadcasting on school radio.

The latest Ofsted inspection (16 to 17 May 2023) judged the school Good in every graded area, including early years provision.

A key draw is the age range. Families can start at pre-school (including provision for two-year-olds) and progress through to Year 6, which can make the early years transition smoother for children and more practical for parents managing drop-off, pick-up, and wraparound care.

Daily language matters here. Pupils are expected to be “Ready, Respectful and Safe”, and the recognition systems are designed to reinforce that message, including “Quinta star” awards and an “above and beyond” culture. The result is a school that feels structured rather than noisy, with pupils clear about what good behaviour looks like and how to earn positive attention.

Leadership is visible in the way the school describes its priorities. The head teacher, Mr William Sharpe, frames the experience around “everyday excellence”, “authentic care”, “independence”, and “opportunity”. Those themes show up repeatedly in the way the school talks about learning, personal development, and the breadth of experiences it wants children to have.

For early years, the atmosphere is deliberately language-rich. Two-year-olds are immersed in songs and rhymes as preparation for later phonics, while pre-school children begin learning letter sounds. That early emphasis is an important signal for parents, it suggests the school treats communication and early literacy as core, not optional extras.

The school is also unusually active in giving pupils roles that look and feel like real responsibility. Older pupils help run the school shop, lead daily broadcasts for the school radio, act as buddies, and take on posts such as school councillors and sports crew leaders. That matters because it turns “leadership” into something practical and everyday, not just a badge for the most confident children.

Historically, the school celebrated its 50th anniversary as a 1968 to 2018 milestone, which anchors it as a modern local institution rather than a Victorian legacy school.

The published Key Stage 2 outcomes paint a strong picture.

In 2024, 78% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with an England average of 62%. At the higher standard, 29.33% achieved greater depth, well above the England average of 8%. These are the headline figures most parents care about because they summarise attainment across the core curriculum.

The wider attainment profile is similarly confident. Reading is a clear strength, with 86% reaching the expected standard and 45% achieving the higher score. Maths is close behind, with 84% reaching expected and 40% achieving the higher score. Grammar, punctuation and spelling is strong too, with 86% meeting the expected standard and 38% reaching the higher score. Science sits at 84% meeting the expected standard.

FindMySchool’s ranking, based on official performance data, places the school 2,510th in England for primary outcomes and 2nd in the Congleton local area. This positioning indicates performance above the England average and comfortably within the top 25% of schools in England.

A practical implication for families is that the school appears to deliver consistently strong core outcomes at scale. With a school capacity of 420 and a roll reported in the high 400s, maintaining standards across a larger intake usually depends on tight curriculum planning and well-managed classrooms.

Parents comparing nearby options can use the FindMySchool Local Hub and Comparison Tool to view these outcomes side by side with other Congleton-area primaries.

Curriculum design is described as ambitious and planned from early years through Year 6, with leaders identifying the key knowledge pupils should learn and the sequence in which it should be taught. The practical benefit of that approach is coherence, children are less likely to experience “topic whiplash” and more likely to build knowledge steadily from year to year.

Reading is treated as a priority throughout the school. Children are encouraged to become reading “ninjas”, and staff read end-of-day stories to classes, which helps build shared reading culture beyond decoding skills. In early years, the phonics programme is described as clearly structured, with staff trained to deliver it and leaders tracking progress closely.

There are, however, a couple of specific improvement threads that matter for parents to understand. In a small number of cases, reading books are not matched closely enough to pupils’ phonics knowledge, which can slow fluency and confidence for children who already find reading difficult. Also, in some subjects the curriculum refinement is at an earlier stage, with content and sequencing less clear than in the strongest areas.

SEND identification is described as swift, and most pupils with SEND receive effective support to access the same curriculum as their peers. The key takeaway is that the intent is inclusive and academically ambitious, while the precision of adaptations is an area leaders are still tightening for a small number of pupils.

As a Congleton primary, most families will focus on local 11 to 18 options for Year 7. One of the clearest routes is Congleton High School, which lists The Quinta Primary as one of its partner primary schools, and also includes it in published feeder school information for admissions.

Families in Cheshire East should be aware that several local schools do not operate simple catchment maps in the way some parents expect. Cheshire East’s own guidance lists The Quinta Primary as a school that does not use a catchment area, and notes that Congleton High School and Eaton Bank Academy also do not use catchment areas. That usually means allocations depend on the published oversubscription criteria, often including distance, siblings, and other priority groups, rather than a fixed boundary line.

For parents planning ahead, the practical advice is to work backwards from Year 7: check the admissions policies of your preferred secondary schools early, attend open events, and use FindMySchoolMap Search to understand journey times and practical logistics from your home.

Demand is real. For the main Reception entry route, there were 132 applications for 60 offers in the most recent data, which is about 2.2 applications for every offered place. The school is therefore oversubscribed, and families should treat admission as competitive even if they live nearby.

Applications for September 2026 entry are coordinated through Cheshire East Council. The published timetable confirms that online applications open on 1 September 2025 and close on 15 January 2026 for primary places, with offers made on 16 April 2026.

A distinctive detail for this school is the relationship between pre-school and Reception admissions. The school’s admissions information flags an oversubscription criterion connected to The Quinta Preschool attendance, including a minimum attendance expectation across terms for that criterion to apply. For parents considering the early years route, it is worth reading the current admissions policy carefully and checking how that criterion operates in practice, particularly if you are relying on Reception entry rather than in-year moves.

Open events appear to follow an autumn pattern. For the 2026 Reception intake, the school published an Open Morning on 3 October 2025. If you miss a scheduled date, it is still worth contacting the school, many primaries will accommodate tours where possible.

Pupils describe feeling confident that adults will help if worries arise, and there is a clear expectation that bullying is dealt with promptly. This is the kind of safeguarding culture parents usually experience indirectly, through how quickly concerns are followed up and how clearly staff communicate.

The report confirmed that safeguarding arrangements are effective, with staff trained to identify risk, record concerns, and act quickly. Pupils are also taught practical safety through the curriculum, including online safety and everyday risk awareness.

Wider development is taken seriously. Pupils learn about different faiths and cultures and engage with charity work, including support for a local foodbank, which helps make “contribution” concrete rather than abstract.

This is not a school where extracurricular is treated as an afterthought. Pupils are offered clubs that include drama, chess, choir, and sewing, alongside opportunities connected to competitive sport, music and drama, including events linked to local opera. Trips and visits are part of the picture too, with residential experiences referenced to London and Conwy.

The club programme is also detailed by year group and term. In Autumn Term 2025, examples included Cooking Club (Years 1 and 2, and Year 6 only), Strategy Games (Year 4 only), Mindfulness (Years 3 and 4), Film Club (Years 3 and 4), and a range of sport and movement options such as tag rugby, hockey, netball, cheerleading, yoga, and creative dance. This level of specificity is useful for parents because it suggests the school plans enrichment as a programme, not a generic list.

For younger children, it also means there are “first club” options early on, including Reception activities such as arts and crafts and yoga. For working families, that can make after-school routines easier, and for children it can be the difference between seeing school as “lessons only” and seeing it as a place where interests are taken seriously.

The school publishes a structured timetable for the day. Registration is at 8:55am for Reception and the main school, with learning running through to story time and a 3:20pm end to the day for many year groups. Pre-school operates on a similar daytime rhythm, with drop-off from 8:55am and collection by 3:00pm.

Wraparound care is available from pre-school onwards. Breakfast Club runs from 7:00am, and After School Club includes collection options up to after 4:30pm, with published session charges.

For transport, the key practical point is that West Heath families are well placed for local Congleton routes, but secondary transfer planning should start early because several local schools do not use catchment areas in the traditional sense.

• Competition for places. With 132 applications for 60 offers for Reception entry, admissions are competitive. Families should submit on time and make realistic backup preferences.

• Reception entry rules can be nuanced. The admissions information highlights an oversubscription criterion linked to pre-school attendance. That can be important for families planning the early years route, so read the latest policy carefully before relying on any single pathway.

• Curriculum development is uneven in a few areas. Some subjects are still being refined in terms of content and sequencing, which can affect how securely pupils build knowledge in those areas.

• Reading precision for the least confident readers. In a small number of cases, book matching to phonics knowledge has not been tight enough, which can slow fluency for pupils who need the most careful scaffolding.

This is a structured, ambitious primary with strong Key Stage 2 outcomes and a clear commitment to early reading, wider development, and meaningful pupil responsibility. The early years route, including provision for two-year-olds, adds practical value for families who want continuity from pre-school through to Year 6.

Best suited to families who value clear routines, strong core academics, and a school that offers genuine enrichment beyond lessons. The main hurdle is securing a place, and planning early is essential.