Weaverham Forest Primary School

Weaverham Forest Primary School is a welcoming and inclusive school where pupils feel safe, valued and happy. Behaviour and attendance are typically good, and the early years provision is a clear strength: children benefit from warm relationships and a purposeful curriculum that prepares them well for key stage 1. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported, and the school's personal development programme, including a wide range of enrichment activities, helps pupils grow in confidence and contribute to their community. Safeguarding standards are met. However, the school's overall effectiveness is uneven because of long-standing weaknesses in curriculum delivery and pupil achievement. Attainment by the end of Year 6 in reading, writing and mathematics is below the national average, and disadvantaged pupils in particular achieve significantly less well than their peers nationally. Teaching is not consistently well matched to pupils' starting points, and assessment does not always ensure that pupils retain key knowledge over time. These issues mean that some pupils are not as well prepared for secondary school as they should be. Leaders have made recent improvements to the quality of teaching and the curriculum, and pupils are beginning to make better progress, but these changes are new and not yet embedded. Governors have not held leaders to account rigorously enough in the past, though this is starting to improve. Interim leaders have managed recent instability well and have quickly gained the confidence of parents and staff, and leaders and governors are united in their drive to secure further improvement.

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe, valued and happy, and enjoy warm relationships with staff.
• Behaviour in lessons and around school is calm, focused and respectful.
• The early years provision is purposeful, engaging and ambitious, preparing children well for key stage 1.
• Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are welcomed, identified quickly and supported to participate fully in school life.
• The school's personal development programme helps pupils understand relationships, diversity and fundamental British values.
• Pupils benefit from a wide range of extra-curricular activities, trips and community projects that build confidence and resilience.
• Safeguarding standards are met, and pupils feel safe and know how to raise concerns.
• Attendance is generally good, and persistent absence is below the national average.
• Interim leaders have managed recent instability effectively and secured the confidence of parents and staff.
• Recent actions have begun to improve the quality of teaching and pupils' progress in basic skills.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils' attainment in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6 is consistently below the national average.
• Disadvantaged pupils' attainment is significantly lower than that of non-disadvantaged pupils nationally across all key measures.
• Pupils' learning across the wider curriculum is uneven, with some pupils not developing a strong body of knowledge over time.
• Teaching is not consistently well matched to pupils' starting points, including for pupils with SEND, which hinders learning.
• Assessment strategies do not always ensure that pupils securely understand key vocabulary and concepts in the longer term.
• Leaders have not tackled weaknesses in teaching quality and pupil achievement quickly enough over time.
• Governors have not historically held leaders to account well enough, although this is improving.
• Recent improvements are not yet fully embedded, leading to inconsistencies in curriculum delivery.

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 Weaverham Forest Primary School attended 94.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 6.7% 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, 0.4% of pupils at Weaverham Forest 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 Weaverham Forest Primary School had 20.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 21.3% 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, 21.3% of pupils at Weaverham Forest Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.3% 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 Weaverham Forest Primary School received £7,109 and spent £7,448 for each of its 218 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £29,000 (-£131 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 Northwich · Cheshire West and Chester local authority: places and applications

What is Weaverham Forest Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Weaverham Forest Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Weaverham Forest Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Weaverham Forest Primary School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Weaverham Forest Primary School have?

Weaverham Forest Primary School has 225 pupils on roll.

What age range does Weaverham Forest Primary School cover?

Weaverham Forest Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Weaverham Forest Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 35% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Weaverham Forest Primary School?

Weaverham Forest Primary School is at Forest Street, Weaverham, Northwich, Cheshire, CW8 3EY.