Primary schools1 · best KS2 results first
Photo: Jo and Steve Turner · CC BY-SA 2.0C−School Grade
Schools in Cherry Willingham · DfE, Ofsted
Cherry Willingham’s state schools trail 76% of towns in England on results
In Cherry Willingham, 32% of pupils got grade 5 or better in both English and maths GCSE, below both Lincolnshire’s towns (41%) and towns in England (45%). 2 state-funded schools are located in Cherry Willingham’s built-up area. Cherry Willingham grades C− for schools, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results: #45 of 61 in Lincolnshire. Ofsted is shown, not graded.
State schools
2
1 primary, 1 secondary
Reading, writing & maths
60%
meet the expected standard at 11 · 2023–25
England’s schools: 62%
Attainment 8
41.8
GCSE average across 8 subjects · 2025/26
England’s schools: 47.3
Grade 5+ English & maths
32%
a strong pass in both · 2025/26
England’s schools: 47%
Town figures are pupil-weighted across the schools the grade uses; England’s are the average school.
School Grade
Cherry Willingham grades C− for schools
Against every town in England with results; Wales publishes none.
Primary: reading, writing and maths at 11 (60% meet the standard)Better than 42% of towns in England
Secondary: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (41.8 and 32%)Better than 15% of towns in England
The primary figure lifts Cherry Willingham; the secondary figure holds it back.
Cherry Willingham has 1 primary of its own with KS2 results, too few to judge on, so the primary figure uses the 7 graded primaries in and within 3 km of the town (838 pupils in results). Cherry Willingham has 1 secondary of its own with GCSE results, too few to judge on, so the secondary figure uses the 1 graded secondary in and within 3 km of the town (105 pupils in results). Mainstream state schools only (grammar schools included); special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19 colleges are listed below but not graded. Each school’s results are compared with every school in England, then weighted by its pupils.
Map
Where Cherry Willingham’s 2 state schools are
Each school at its address, coloured by its own letter and sized by pupils. Open a school for its own page. The dashed shape is Cherry Willingham’s built-up area.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
PrimarySecondary (named)Special, nursery, 16–19Size: pupilsABCDNo letter
Most schools give places by distance once siblings are in, so the schools nearest a home matter more than any league table.
Getting a place
How school places work in Cherry Willingham
Lincolnshire County Council handles applications for every state school in Cherry Willingham, academies included. You apply to the council where you live, even for a school in another area.
Secondary (starting at 11)Apply by 31 October of Year 6. Offers on 1 March.
Primary (starting in Reception)Apply by 15 January before the September your child starts. Offers on 16 April.
Moving mid-yearApply to the council for an in-year place; it tells you which schools have room.
When a school is full
Every school publishes its admissions rules. Children in care come first, then, at most schools, brothers and sisters of current pupils, then those who live nearest. Infant classes are limited to 30 by law. If you’re refused a place, you can appeal to an independent panel.
Useful: Apply for a primary place (GOV.UK) · Apply for a secondary place (GOV.UK) · How admissions criteria work
How full each school is
Pupils on roll as a share of the school’s official capacity. The black tick is 100%.
The Priory Pembroke98%
Cherry Willingham67%
DfE register of schools (GIAS), January 2026 census. Capacity often excludes a nursery class, so a school with a nursery can show over 100%.
The schools
2 state schools in Cherry Willingham
Each school’s own letter compares its results with every state school in England of the same phase: Key Stage 2 for primaries, GCSEs for secondaries. Open a school for its results, how its letter is worked out, Ofsted and a map.
Letters of Cherry Willingham’s schoolsA 0B 0C 2D 0
Secondary schools1 · best GCSE results first
Key result: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (GCSEs, 2025/26 provisional) for secondaries; the share meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (KS2, DfE’s three-year average) for primaries. Pupils: the January 2026 school census. No letter: an infant or first school (no KS2 tests), a new school, a small cohort DfE suppresses, or a special school, nursery or college. Independent schools aren’t included.
Ofsted
Ofsted report cards
Each school’s latest inspection; report cards replace one-word judgements as schools are re-inspected.
Since November 2025 Ofsted gives each area of a school one of five grades (exceptional, strong standard, expected standard, needs attention, urgent improvement) and says whether safeguarding is met, instead of one overall word. 1 of Cherry Willingham’s 2 state schools have a report card so far; the others show their last inspection under the old framework. Ofsted is never part of the School Grade.
| School | Safeguarding | Achievement | Curriculum and teaching | Inclusion | Attendance and behaviour | Personal development and well-being | Leadership and governance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Priory Pembroke AcademyJune 2026 | Met | Expected standard | Expected standard | Strong standard | Expected standard | Strong standard | Strong standard |
After 16
Where Cherry Willingham’s teenagers go at 16
In England young people stay in education or training until 18: a sixth form, a college, or an apprenticeship.
The state secondary in Cherry Willingham teaches 11 to 16. The nearest college is Lincoln College, a further-education college 3.3 miles away.
Secondaries with a sixth form
0 of 1
state schools in Cherry Willingham
Colleges within 12 miles
1
nearest: Lincoln College
Grammar schools in Lincolnshire
15
selective state secondaries
Towns its size
502nd of 671 English towns of 2,500 to 5,000
Ranked by School Grade, best first: the towns either side of Cherry Willingham, and the top and bottom of the group.
| # | Town | Schools | KS2 | Attainment 8 | Grade 5+ E&M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gnosall Staffordshire | A+ | 83% | — | — |
| … | |||||
| 498 | Tutbury Staffordshire | C− | 57% | — | — |
| 499 | Pill Somerset | C− | 53% | 46 | 42% |
| 500 | Pimperne Dorset | C− | 58% | 43.2 | 37% |
| 501 | Navenby Lincolnshire | C− | 57% | — | — |
| 502 | Cherry Willingham Lincolnshire | C− | 60% | 41.8 | 32% |
| 503 | Higham Kent | C− | 60% | 43.7 | 31% |
| 504 | Newhey Greater Manchester | C− | 51% | 45.4 | 44% |
| 505 | Lower Stondon Bedfordshire | C− | 54% | 44.9 | 41% |
| 506 | Kingsbury Warwickshire | C− | 55% | 43.3 | 43% |
| … | |||||
| 671 | Watchet Somerset | D− | 29% | — | — |
Neighbours
Cherry Willingham and the places around it
Coloured by School Grade.
FiskertonWashingborough and HeighingtonSudbrookeNettlehamBranstonDunholmeLincolnCherry Willingham
| Town | Schools | KS2 | Att. 8 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cherry Willingham 2 schools | C− | 60% | 41.8 |
| Fiskerton 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 1.2 mi | C | 62% | 41.8 |
| Washingborough and Heighington 2 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 1.7 mi | C− | 59% | 40.9 |
| Sudbrooke 0 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 2 mi | C | 61% | 41.8 |
| Nettleham 2 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 2.2 mi | D | 55% | 39.9 |
| Branston 3 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 3.2 mi | C | 59% | 42.7 |
| Dunholme 0 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 4 mi | A | 72% | 49.1 |
| Lincoln 38 schools · 4.1 mi | D | 54% | 42.1 |
Dunholme has the best-graded schools nearby (A). Small places often use the schools within 3 km, so neighbours can share schools.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Expected standard at Key Stage 2. The share of 11-year-olds who reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths together, in tests and teacher assessment at the end of primary school. We use DfE’s three-year average (2023–2025) to steady small schools.
- Higher standard. The share working at greater depth in all three. In Cherry Willingham: 6% (England’s average school: 8%).
- Attainment 8. A pupil’s GCSE grades across eight subjects, with English and maths counted twice, added up. 50 is roughly a grade 5 in every subject.
- Grade 5+ in English and maths. A strong pass in both. Grade 4 is a standard pass.
- Provisional. 2025/26 GCSE figures are DfE’s first release; revised figures follow in February, usually within a point.
- Progress 8. Not shown: there is none for 2025/26, because these pupils sat no KS2 tests in 2020 (Covid).
- Free school meals. Pupils eligible for free school meals now, from the January census: the usual measure of how many pupils come from low-income homes.
- Independent schools. Not included: they publish no results comparable with state schools’.
Questions about schools in Cherry Willingham
Are schools in Cherry Willingham good?
Cherry Willingham’s state schools earn a C− against schools across England: primary results beat 42% of towns in England; secondary results beat 15% of towns in England, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results. School places are handled by Lincolnshire council.
Do Cherry Willingham secondary schools have sixth forms?
No. The state secondary teaches 11–16; students move at 16 to a college, a sixth form elsewhere or an apprenticeship.
How do I apply for a school place in Cherry Willingham?
Through Lincolnshire County Council, for every state school including academies. Secondary applications close on 31 October (offers 1 March); primary on 15 January (offers 16 April).
How many state schools are in Cherry Willingham?
2 open state-funded schools are located in Cherry Willingham’s built-up area: 1 primary, 1 secondary and 0 other (special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19). Independent schools aren’t included.
Sources: DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), Key Stage 2 performance tables (2023–2025, three-year average) and Key Stage 4 (2025/26, provisional); Ofsted state-funded school inspections as at 30 September 2026 · DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), further-education and sixth-form colleges · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.