Helsby Hillside Primary School

Helsby Hillside Primary School is performing well overall, with pupils making good progress through the curriculum and achieving strong outcomes in national tests. The school demonstrates a commitment to inclusivity, yielding positive results for disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs. There is an effective safeguarding culture in place that ensures pupils feel safe and supported. Leaders have implemented a broad and ambitious curriculum that allows students to build essential knowledge and skills. Attendance rates are improving, particularly for disadvantaged pupils, although further focus on this area is required.

Strengths

• Pupils make good progress across all subjects.
• Strong focus on safeguarding standards.
• Ambitious and well-structured curriculum.
• Effective support for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.
• High expectations for attendance and behaviour.
• Strong leadership and governance.
• Positive personal development opportunities for pupils.

Areas for Improvement

• Disadvantaged pupils still lag behind their non-disadvantaged peers in attainment.
• Inconsistent checks on learning impacting writing skills.
• Some monitoring of attendance for disadvantaged pupils is not comprehensive.

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 Helsby Hillside Primary School attended 95.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.2% 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, 0.5% of pupils at Helsby Hillside 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 Helsby Hillside Primary School had 22.3 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, 9.9% of pupils at Helsby Hillside Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.5% 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 Helsby Hillside Primary School received £6,354 and spent £6,557 for each of its 202 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £12,000 (£59 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 Frodsham · Cheshire West and Chester local authority: places and applications

What is Helsby Hillside Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Helsby Hillside Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in May 2026.

When was Helsby Hillside Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Helsby Hillside Primary School was last inspected in May 2026.

How many pupils does Helsby Hillside Primary School have?

Helsby Hillside Primary School has 202 pupils on roll.

What age range does Helsby Hillside Primary School cover?

Helsby Hillside Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Helsby Hillside Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 68% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Helsby Hillside Primary School?

Helsby Hillside Primary School is at Bates Lane, Helsby, Frodsham, Cheshire, WA6 9LN.