St Cecilia's CofE Primary School Review 2026: New, music-aware Church school with standout KS2 outcomes

A newer Church of England primary in Emmbrook, St Cecilia’s has moved quickly from “new school” to “high-performing and in demand”. It is already oversubscribed for Reception, with 91 applications for 23 places in the latest available admissions data, which is close to four applications per place.

The school’s Christian vision is unusually clear and practical, Therefore encourage one another, and build each other up. (Thessalonians 5:11). It shows up in day-to-day routines, relationships, and how inclusion is described, rather than being kept for assemblies alone. The most recent external church-school inspection in December 2025 supports this picture, highlighting courteous behaviour, harmonious relationships, and a curriculum designed for a diverse community.

Academic performance, based on the FindMySchool rankings and official outcomes data, is the headline. The school ranks 342nd in England and 1st in Wokingham for primary outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data). With 92% reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with an England average of 62%, outcomes sit well above typical levels, and the higher standard rate is also striking.

St Cecilia’s is organised around a small set of values that are repeated consistently: perseverance, forgiveness, kindness, gratitude, truthfulness and wisdom. In practice, that tends to create a calmer primary feel, because behaviour expectations are described in the language pupils actually use, rather than only in rules. The school also emphasises encouragement as an operational idea, not a slogan, linking it to inclusion and belonging across different faiths and backgrounds.

Leadership is structured in a way parents should understand before applying. The website lists an Executive Headteacher (Mrs H Wooller) alongside a Head of School (Mr R Thomas). That often indicates shared leadership across more than one school within a trust, with on-site leadership anchored by the Head of School.

For a Church of England school, the faith positioning is notably open. The admissions information is explicit that there are no faith-based oversubscription criteria, and that the school is intended for its local community regardless of faith. This is important for families who want the tone and collective worship of a Church school, without admissions being driven by church attendance.

Because the school is still comparatively new, the culture is also still being actively shaped. The SIAMS report (December 2025) describes a community where pupils with additional needs and pupils learning English as an additional language are supported well, and where pastoral support includes a dedicated space for recuperation if someone needs time out. Those are practical details that usually appear only when a school is thinking hard about inclusion, not just stating it.

St Cecilia’s performance data, as reflected in the FindMySchool dataset, is unusually strong for a school that is still building its full year-group history.

Rankings context (FindMySchool ranking based on official data)

Ranked 342nd in England and 1st in Wokingham for primary outcomes. This places the school well above England average (top 10%).

KS2 headline (most recent dataset figures)

• Expected standard (reading, writing, maths combined): 92%, compared with an England average of 62%.

• Higher standard (greater depth across reading, writing and maths): 45%, compared with an England average of 8%.

• Scaled scores are also high (reading 109, maths 111, grammar, punctuation and spelling 111).

The story behind these numbers matters. High expected-standard percentages can sometimes be driven by a small cohort effect, but the higher-standard figure is harder to inflate without genuinely secure attainment across the year group. For parents, the implication is that pupils are not only meeting thresholds, they are often moving beyond them in a way that should translate into confidence at secondary transition.

One caution worth holding alongside the results is that newer schools can show more year-to-year variation while cohorts settle and the school grows. The strength here is that the school’s published curriculum intent focuses heavily on language, communication, and core knowledge building, which typically sustains performance over time when it is executed consistently.

Teaching at St Cecilia’s is described in concrete, operational terms, which is usually a good sign. Reading is structured around early assessment and matched texts, and the school describes daily whole-class reading sessions built around carefully chosen extracts and longer texts. For families, this is the kind of approach that tends to support both confident readers and pupils who need systematic reinforcement, because everyone is practising comprehension daily, not only those who choose to read at home.

Mathematics is similarly explicit. The school describes daily maths lessons and also adds short “mastery” sessions during the week to rehearse core facts such as times tables. The implication is pace and repetition. Pupils who like routine and clear steps usually thrive, while pupils who need more time can benefit from small-step sequencing if it is paired with sensitive support.

A distinctive thread is the combination of curriculum breadth with a deliberate emphasis on language development. The SIAMS report notes a strong focus on language to support pupils who speak English as an additional language, which matters in a diverse intake because language capacity is often the gatekeeper to progress across every subject, not only English.

Early Years and Nursery provision

Nursery is not treated as an add-on. The school day information distinguishes clearly between 15-hour and 30-hour nursery placements, with structured sessions and a lunch period, which signals that routines and expectations are being established early. There is also an option for an additional hour for some nursery children, with an extra charge, but the school does not publish a price.

For parents weighing nursery as the entry point, the key question is continuity. A nursery place does not automatically guarantee a Reception place in most English admissions systems, and families should assume they will still need to apply for Reception through the local authority route on time.

As a state primary, the main transition is into local secondary schools. The practical reality in Wokingham is that allocations depend on your home location, the secondary admissions arrangements, and how popular individual schools are in a given year.

The more meaningful point for St Cecilia’s is “secondary readiness”. The combination of high attainment, strong language emphasis, and a values-led behaviour culture should support pupils who need to handle larger classes, longer days, and more independent organisation in Year 7. The school’s own framing of moral responsibility and citizenship also tends to translate well into secondary life, where pupils need to make more choices without constant adult scaffolding.

If you are trying to plan this transition early, FindMySchool’s Local Hub and Comparison Tool can help you compare nearby primary performance and shortlist likely secondary options, then sanity-check travel time and logistics before you commit to a move.

St Cecilia’s is oversubscribed, and the most important practical implication is that families should treat admissions as a timeline exercise, not a last-minute form. In the latest available Reception-route data, the school recorded 91 applications for 23 offers, which indicates strong demand relative to places.

The admissions approach is also distinctive for a Church of England school. The school states there are no faith-based oversubscription criteria, and priority is framed around local community access after the statutory priorities (for example, children with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the school, and looked-after or previously looked-after children).

Reception entry for September 2026

For Reception places (September 2026 start), Wokingham Borough Council published a clear schedule, including: applications opening on 13 November 2025, closing on 15 January 2026, and offers released on 16 April 2026. This matters because the closing date has already passed as of 27 January 2026, so families applying now are typically in late-application territory and should act quickly and follow the council’s process.

If you are buying or renting with this school in mind, use FindMySchoolMap Search to check your precise distance and then revisit it each year you apply, because application density changes.

Nursery entry for September 2026

Nursery has its own admissions route. The school states the application window for nursery places starting in September 2026 is open, with a deadline of 31 January 2026, and it links families to the application form. This deadline is imminent as of 27 January 2026, so it is one to treat as urgent rather than “sometime this term”.

Visiting and open events

The school publishes open event dates, but when dates on a page are already in the past, the safest assumption is that the pattern repeats annually rather than relying on old dates. In practice, St Cecilia’s open events appear to cluster in early autumn and into the end of the calendar year, which fits the normal rhythm for Reception admissions. Always check the school’s latest open events listing for the current schedule.

Pastoral care is described less as a single programme and more as a set of consistent habits. The school links behaviour expectations to its values, and it uses a therapeutic-thinking framing in its published information, which usually signals a preference for de-escalation, reflection, and repair, rather than purely punitive systems.

A key inclusion marker is practical support for pupils who need it. The SIAMS report highlights skilled staff support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities and pupils learning English as an additional language, plus a calm environment where good behaviour supports wellbeing. Parents should read this as an indicator that the school is trying to prevent small problems becoming persistent ones, which is particularly important in younger year groups.

Collective worship also plays a pastoral role. The school describes it as inclusive and invitational, with space for reflection, stories, and discussion, rather than assuming a single religious starting point for every family. That tends to work well in mixed-faith communities because pupils can participate meaningfully without feeling they are acting out something that does not belong to them.

Music is not a vague “nice-to-have” here, it is explicitly tied to identity. St Cecilia is the patron saint of music, and the school makes that link directly in its values and curriculum framing. The SIAMS report also notes that pupils enjoy singing, choir, and learning instruments, and that performing in concerts with the Wokingham Music Association builds confidence and a sense of achievement. For families, that is a clear signal that music participation is culturally normal, not reserved for a small specialist group.

The school’s prospectus also sets out an “experience list” style of enrichment, which includes things like safe cycling, performing in productions and concerts, attending residential trips, and working with authors and artists. This is useful because it translates enrichment into an entitlement over a primary journey, rather than an occasional reward for older pupils.

Practical clubs and wraparound also matter to families. Breakfast club and after-school club are run by a dedicated provider, which usually means a more stable routine and clearer booking than ad hoc provision. That kind of structure can make the difference for working parents deciding between otherwise similar local primaries.

School day (Reception to Year 6)

rolling start from 8.35am, with the day running 8.45am to 3.15pm. Nursery sessions run on a separate timetable, including morning and afternoon options for 15-hour places.

Wraparound care

Breakfast Club runs 7.45am to 8.45am, and After School Club runs 3.15pm to 6.00pm, provided through Funtastic Kids.

Getting there

this is a local community school serving Emmbrook and the wider Wokingham area, so most families will be thinking in terms of walkability, drop-off flow, and after-school logistics. If you are planning around proximity, check your route at peak times, not only in the middle of the day, and use a precise distance checker rather than relying on “it feels close”.

• High demand for places. Nearly four applications per place (based on the latest available Reception-route data) is a genuine competition level. Families should treat admission as the main uncertainty, not the education once a place is secured.

• A newer school can mean faster change. Staffing, routines, and cohort sizes can evolve more quickly in newer schools as year groups fill and systems bed in. The advantage is energy and clarity, the trade-off is that “how it was two years ago” can be less predictive than in long-established schools.

• Church school rhythm is real, but admissions are inclusive. Daily worship and Christian festivals are part of school life, yet the school is explicit that it welcomes families of all faiths and none, and it does not use faith-based admissions criteria. That balance will suit many families, but it is worth aligning expectations before you apply.

• Nursery is not a guaranteed route into Reception. Nursery has its own application window and deadline, but families should assume they still need to apply for Reception through the local authority process on time.

St Cecilia’s is an unusually purposeful newer primary: values-led without being exclusive, and academically high-performing early in its life. It will suit families who want strong core outcomes, clear routines, and a Church of England ethos that emphasises encouragement and inclusion in a diverse community. The limiting factor is admission rather than day-to-day experience, so shortlisting works best when you pair it with a realistic plan B and keep your timelines tight.

Families interested in this option should use Saved Schools to manage their shortlist, then use Map Search to sense-check proximity and travel routines before committing to a move.