Peover Superior Endowed Primary School Review 2026: Small-school warmth with top-tier KS2 outcomes

Morning drop-off has the pace and precision you would expect from a high-performing village primary, with the added benefit that children quickly become known, not just recognised. With 93 pupils on roll against a capacity of 105, Peover Superior sits firmly in the small-school bracket, which shapes almost every aspect of daily life, from leadership visibility to how older pupils support younger ones.

Academic results are a headline strength. In 2024, 100% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined, compared with an England average of 62%. At the higher standard, 42.33% reached greater depth in reading, writing and mathematics, compared with an England average of 8%. The scaled scores are equally strong, at 110 for reading, 109 for mathematics, and 110 for grammar, punctuation and spelling.

On the FindMySchool rankings based on official data, the school is ranked 535th in England and 3rd in Knutsford for primary outcomes. This places it well above the England average, within the top 10% of primary schools in England.

Admissions are competitive for a school of this size. For the Reception entry route, 58 applications were made for 15 offers, around 3.87 applications per place, and the route is recorded as oversubscribed.

The ethos is clearly articulated. The Principal’s welcome sets out school values as Care, Achieve and Believe, with a sustained focus on belonging as the foundation for confidence and success.

Peover Superior’s identity is rooted in being small, rural, and community-facing. The school itself describes a close-knit culture built around belonging, and that emphasis is not left as abstract messaging, it becomes the organising principle behind how pupils are expected to treat one another and how staff frame success.

Values are expressed in plain language that younger pupils can use. Care, Achieve and Believe gives staff a consistent vocabulary to reinforce effort, kindness and resilience. The mission statement reinforces the same message, prioritising a safe, happy and engaging environment where pupils feel they belong, and linking this directly to aspiration and contribution beyond school.

Leadership stability matters in a small setting, because changes are felt quickly. Mrs Joanne Munro is listed as Headteacher and Principal on both the school website and the national Get Information About Schools service. The March 2023 inspection confirms that a new principal had been in post since September 2022, which is a helpful marker for families interested in current direction and decision-making.

There is also a deeper historical thread than many parents expect from a modern primary. Local historical records describe an educational foundation being formalised in 1865, with the current school building opened on 11 May 1914. In practical terms, this heritage tends to show up as continuity of place and a strong local identity, rather than formality.

The results profile is exceptionally strong on the measures available.

In 2024, 100% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined, compared with an England average of 62%. Reading, mathematics and grammar, punctuation and spelling are all recorded at 100% reaching the expected standard, alongside 100% in science.

The higher standard picture is equally striking. In 2024, 42.33% achieved the higher standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined, compared with an England average of 8%. This is the sort of figure that usually indicates both strong teaching sequencing and a cohort culture where high attainment is normalised rather than exceptional.

Scaled scores provide another useful lens. Reading is 110 and mathematics is 109, both comfortably above the England benchmark of 100. Grammar, punctuation and spelling is also 110, supporting the view that technical accuracy is being secured alongside broader comprehension.

For parents comparing local options, the FindMySchool rankings provide a fast proxy for relative performance using official data. Peover Superior is ranked 535th in England and 3rd in Knutsford for primary outcomes (FindMySchool ranking). With an England percentile of 0.0353, that places it well above the England average, within the top 10% of schools in England.

If you are building a shortlist across Cheshire East, the FindMySchool Local Hub and Comparison Tool can be helpful for viewing this results profile alongside nearby schools on the same measures, without swapping between multiple dashboards.

Small schools can sometimes struggle to offer breadth, particularly where staff cover multiple subjects and year groups. Here, the evidence points the other way. High attainment across reading, writing and mathematics, plus above-benchmark scaled scores, usually correlates with consistent classroom routines and careful curriculum sequencing, especially in mixed-age or smaller cohort contexts.

A key practical detail is how learning is supported beyond the core timetable. The school explicitly positions enrichment as a year-round entitlement, changing clubs termly so that pupils from Reception to Year 6 get repeated chances to try new activities. That approach matters because it reduces the “same pupils do everything” pattern that can creep into small schools, and it broadens participation rather than concentrating it.

The school also links wellbeing to the curriculum through hands-on projects. Gardening is presented as both a sustainability focus and a mental health and wellbeing initiative, developed with volunteer parents and grandparents. That is a very particular kind of small-school advantage, learning and community involvement reinforce each other, and practical outdoor work becomes a route to confidence for pupils who may not always be first to put a hand up in class.

As a primary school, the key question is transition rather than destinations in the sixth form sense. Cheshire East operates coordinated admissions for secondary transfer, and families will typically weigh travel time and transport routes alongside school type and availability.

What Peover Superior can offer, based on the evidence available, is strong academic readiness for whichever route a family chooses. A 2024 profile with 100% reaching expected standards in reading, writing and mathematics suggests pupils are likely to move into Year 7 with secure fundamentals, and a high proportion working above age-related expectations.

Because the school does not publish a definitive “feeder secondary” list in the sources reviewed, it is sensible for parents to treat Year 6 transition as an individual planning exercise. The most useful step is to shortlist secondary options early and align them with transport practicality, then use open events and transition conversations to confirm fit.

Admissions pressure is real, and it is easier to understand in the numbers. For the Reception entry route recorded here, 58 applications were made for 15 offers, a ratio of about 3.87 applications per place, and the route is recorded as oversubscribed. This is a small intake, so even modest changes in local birth cohorts can noticeably shift odds year to year.

For September 2026 entry in Cheshire East, the council’s coordinated timetable sets out the critical milestones: applications opened on 1 September 2025, the closing date was 15 January 2026, and offers are due to be made on 16 April 2026, with a 30 April 2026 deadline for accepting or refusing a place.

The school also published tour slots for prospective Reception families across late 2025 and January 2026, with staff-led tours differentiated by Principal and Assistant Principal. For parents planning ahead for future years, this gives a clear indication of typical timing, tours tend to run in October and November, with an additional opportunity in January.

If you are relying on distance-based allocation for any school choice, the FindMySchool Map Search is a practical way to check your precise home-to-school distance and sense-check it against recent cut-offs where available. For this school, the last-distance figure is not provided in the data shown here, so families should treat distance as important but verify the current year’s allocation position through official routes.

Warm relationships and a calm, focused atmosphere are repeatedly signalled through official reporting, and those factors tend to be particularly meaningful in small primaries where children are in the same peer group for years. The latest Ofsted inspection on 21 March 2023 confirmed the school continues to be Outstanding.

There is also explicit clarity on safeguarding roles, with the Principal named as the senior designated safeguarding lead and supported by deputy safeguarding staff. That level of published detail is useful for parents, because it makes escalation routes transparent rather than implicit.

Wraparound care is part of the wellbeing picture too, because it shapes the start and end of the day for working families. Peover Superior runs Breakfast Club and an after-school provision called Chill Zone, with routines and staffing designed to keep the environment familiar rather than outsourced.

A small school needs extracurricular life that is deliberately structured, otherwise participation can become narrow. The school’s enrichment model is based on rotating opportunities termly so pupils across Reception to Year 6 can try varied activities across the year.

Several specific examples help this feel tangible rather than generic:

• Gardening and sustainability sit at the centre of how outdoor spaces are used. Pupils have contributed to developing green spaces over several years, supported by volunteer parents and grandparents. This is positioned not just as “nice to have” but as part of wellbeing and sustainability education.

• School exhibits and events extend that learning beyond the school grounds. The school reports involvement in Cheshire-wide gardening events including Arley Hall and the RHS Tatton Garden Show, including opportunities for pupils to help build exhibits. The implication is that teamwork and real-world project deadlines are introduced in an age-appropriate way, giving pupils a sense that their work has an audience beyond the classroom.

• Craft club is referenced through the school’s involvement in the Arley Hall Christmas Tree event, where pupils helped design a themed tree linked to reading for pleasure. This is a useful example of cross-curricular thinking, creativity linked to literacy, rather than “art club as a stand-alone”.

• Sport enrichment is framed as exposure as well as skill-building. During National School Sports Week, the school references workshops in activities such as archery, boccia, fencing, bubble football, lacrosse, triathlon, badminton, and street dance. For pupils who have not yet found “their sport”, that breadth can be the difference between opting out and opting in.

• Rights Respecting Schools work, aligned to UNICEF’s Rights Respecting Schools Award, signals an intentional approach to pupil voice and respect. In practice, this often strengthens behaviour culture because expectations are framed as rights and responsibilities rather than just rules.

• Mini Dukes Passport materials are published by class, indicating a structured character and citizenship programme rather than ad hoc assemblies.

The school day is clearly set out. Doors open at 8:45am, formal sessions begin at 9:00am, and home time is 3:30pm. That clarity is useful for parents managing travel between villages and nearby towns.

Wraparound care is available in two blocks. Breakfast Club runs from 8:00am and Chill Zone runs from 3:30pm to 5:30pm during term time.

For travel, this is a rural setting and many families will drive. For rail connections into the area, Knutsford railway station is the nearest major named hub, and Cheshire East publishes guidance for bus and rail travel planning across the borough.

A final practical detail: the Year 5 and Year 6 classroom provision has been an active site focus. The school reports renovations to an outside cabin used as the Year 5 and Year 6 classroom, pending planning permission for a complete rebuild, which is a helpful indicator of ongoing investment and attention to learning spaces.

• Small intake, high demand. With 58 applications for 15 offers recorded for the Reception entry route, competition can feel intense and late planning carries risk. Families should keep an active shortlist rather than relying on a single outcome.

• Leadership change is recent. A new principal has been in post since September 2022. Many families will welcome the energy and clarity this can bring, but it also means some processes may still be evolving compared with longer-established leadership eras.

• Rural practicality. This is a village school. Travel plans tend to be car-led for many families, and wraparound care can become a key part of managing work patterns. Check timings carefully against your commute, especially in winter months.

• Enrichment rotates by term. The school’s model is variety across the year, rather than the same clubs running continuously. That suits many pupils, but families looking for a single specialist pathway every term should confirm what is running in the relevant term.

Peover Superior Endowed Primary School combines the advantages of a small village setting with results that place it well above the England average. The 2024 KS2 profile is difficult to match, and the school’s emphasis on belonging and values gives the academic strength a clear human framework.

Best suited to families who want a small-school culture where staff know children extremely well, and who value strong attainment alongside structured enrichment, including outdoor sustainability work and rotating clubs. The limiting factor is admission, because small numbers amplify competition.