Christleton Primary School

Christleton Primary School is a happy, caring and ambitious school where pupils feel safe and are proud to attend. The October 2024 inspection was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and under the current framework it did not receive an overall effectiveness grade. The quality of education and leadership and management were judged good, while behaviour and attitudes, personal development and early years provision were judged outstanding. The school’s previous inspection grade was outstanding. The school’s strengths include a broad and ambitious curriculum with reading at its centre, strong phonics and mathematics provision, skilled teaching and effective support for pupils with SEND. Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary, attendance is good, and pupils are exceptionally well prepared for life in modern Britain. Governance is effective, staff feel well supported, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. The main area for improvement is that in a small number of subjects, assessment outcomes are not used well enough. Teachers do not always adapt learning for pupils with gaps in their knowledge, so some gaps persist and can hinder pupils when new knowledge is introduced. The school should ensure teachers use assessment to adjust curriculum delivery and close those gaps.

Strengths

• Broad and ambitious curriculum with reading at its centre
• Strong phonics teaching from the early years
• Pupils become fluent and enthusiastic readers
• Mathematics provision builds confident mathematicians
• Skilled teachers and a comprehensive professional development programme
• Effective identification and support for pupils with SEND
• Exemplary pupil behaviour and consistently high expectations
• Strong attendance monitoring and support for persistent absence
• Outstanding personal development and preparation for life in modern Britain
• Effective governance with appropriate support and challenge
• Staff feel exceptionally well supported by leaders
• Effective safeguarding arrangements

Areas for Improvement

• In a small number of subjects, assessment outcomes are not used well enough to adapt teaching and close pupils’ knowledge gaps

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 Christleton Primary School attended 97.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 3.2% 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 Christleton 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 Christleton Primary School had 23.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 11.9% 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, 5.5% of pupils at Christleton Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.3% 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 Christleton Primary School received £6,008 and spent £5,611 for each of its 220 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £225,000 (£1,021 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 Christleton Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Christleton Primary School is Good, from an inspection in February 2025.

When was Christleton Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Christleton Primary School was last inspected in February 2025.

How many pupils does Christleton Primary School have?

Christleton Primary School has 220 pupils on roll.

What age range does Christleton Primary School cover?

Christleton Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 53% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Christleton Primary School?

Christleton Primary School is at Quarry Lane, Christleton, Chester, Cheshire, CH3 7AY.