J H Godwin Primary School

J H Godwin Primary School is a small primary in Blacon, Chester, with a pupil population and capacity below the national average, but with above-average levels of deprivation and free school meals, and a well-above-average proportion of pupils receiving SEN support. Safeguarding standards are met. The school has experienced significant leadership and governance instability, including the recent appointment of an acting headteacher, and many governors are new. Early years and inclusion are judged to be at the expected standard, but achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing all need attention. Leaders have taken appropriate recent action, but much of the improvement work is not yet fully embedded.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open and positive culture.
• Early years provides a well-ordered, broad curriculum and children get off to a successful start.
• Phonics is taught well, and children develop a love of reading.
• Skilled early years staff provide high-quality interactions and introduce ambitious vocabulary.
• Staff build nurturing relationships with children and families and help parents support learning at home.
• Inclusion has improved, with stronger systems to identify and address additional needs.
• Leaders work closely with external professionals and use additional funding effectively.
• Staff receive effective professional learning and adapt provision well for pupils with SEMH needs.
• Pupils behave well, are polite and respectful, and bullying is rare and resolved quickly.
• Suspensions have reduced over time.
• Leaders have acted quickly to understand the school's context and identify priorities.
• Governance is improving, with many new governors who understand their roles.
• Staff feel well supported by leaders for their workload and wellbeing.
• Parents are positive about the school and recent changes.
• Pupils enjoy school, have positive relationships with staff, and benefit from trips and responsibilities.
• Pupils develop leadership skills through roles such as head pupils, councillors and mental-health ambassadors.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils, including those with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, do not achieve as well as they should over time.
• Year 6 attainment in national tests in reading, writing and mathematics has been low.
• Many older pupils do not secure their knowledge in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Recent improvements to achievement are not yet fully embedded, so full impact is not yet seen.
• Staff do not identify knowledge gaps and misconceptions quickly enough.
• Some poor handwriting and errors in pupils' work continue over time.
• Curriculum implementation is variable and teaching is uneven.
• Teaching does not fully secure pupils' basic knowledge in reading, writing and mathematics in key stage 2.
• Some pupils, including those with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, do not catch up as quickly as they should.
• Attendance has been consistently below national averages and persistent absence is high.
• Improvements to attendance have not been steady or quick enough.
• Inclusion improvements are still being embedded and some pupils do not achieve or attend as well as they should.
• The personal development offer is not wide-ranging enough to enhance pupils' talents and interests.
• Pupils lack sufficient understanding of different religions, fundamental British values and equality matters.
• Pupils are not as prepared as they should be for life in modern Britain.
• Governors have not been effective enough over time in support and challenge, and assurance is not precise enough.
• Much leadership improvement work is recent, and sustained impact is not yet evident.
• Pupils are not as well prepared for their next steps as they should be.
• Tracking of pupils' wider experiences has not been used to tailor the offer or ensure full benefit.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at J H Godwin Primary School attended 93.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 19.3% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 1.8% of pupils at J H Godwin Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 J H Godwin Primary School had 15.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 46.0% of pupils at J H Godwin Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.0% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 J H Godwin Primary School received £8,834 and spent £9,020 for each of its 161 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £54,000 (£334 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Chester · Cheshire West and Chester local authority: places and applications

What is J H Godwin Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for J H Godwin Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was J H Godwin Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

J H Godwin Primary School was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does J H Godwin Primary School have?

J H Godwin Primary School has 161 pupils on roll.

What age range does J H Godwin Primary School cover?

J H Godwin Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are J H Godwin Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 32% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is J H Godwin Primary School?

J H Godwin Primary School is at Melbourne Road, Blacon, Chester, Cheshire, CH1 5JG.