Dee Point Primary School

Dee Point Primary School is performing at the expected standard overall. It is a larger-than-average primary in a deprived area, with high proportions of disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND, and it has a specially resourced provision, The Nest, for pupils with complex and moderate learning difficulties. Safeguarding standards are met. Leaders have acted since the last inspection to introduce an ambitious, sequenced curriculum and strengthen teaching, and this is having a positive effect, particularly for younger pupils and pupils with SEND. The school's strengths are broad: early years is well led, inclusion is strong, leadership and governance are effective, personal development is rich, and pupils behave very well and feel safe. Staff receive high-quality training and support, and pupils with SEND make positive progress from their starting points. Phonics and multiplication check results have improved and are now close to average. Two important areas need attention. Published outcomes at the end of Year 6 in reading, writing and mathematics remain below national averages, including for disadvantaged pupils, and some older pupils still have gaps from the previous weaker curriculum, so not all are fully prepared for secondary school. Attendance is also weaker than it should be, with overall absence and persistent absence above national averages, although leaders have recently strengthened systems. Early years curriculum refinements are still needed to improve outcomes for children with lower starting points.

Strengths

• Ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum across subjects
• High-quality training and consistent teaching approaches, including knowledge organisers and vocabulary focus
• Strong early years provision with clear routines and a focus on early writing and vocabulary
• Effective inclusion and SEND support, including specialist The Nest provision
• Leadership and governance are effective, with accurate self-evaluation and clear priorities
• Staff feel well supported and workload is managed thoughtfully
• Broad personal development and enrichment, including clubs, music, trips and leadership roles
• Pupils behave very well, feel safe and build warm relationships with staff
• Safeguarding culture is open and all legal requirements are met
• Positive progress for pupils with SEND from their starting points
• Phonics and multiplication check outcomes have improved and are close to average

Areas for Improvement

• Year 6 achievement in reading, writing and mathematics is below national averages
• Disadvantaged pupils' outcomes are below those of disadvantaged pupils nationally, with wide gaps
• Some older pupils have gaps in learning from the previous weaker curriculum
• Some pupils are not fully prepared for the move to secondary school
• Attendance is below expected standards, and persistent absence is above national
• Early years curriculum still needs refinement to improve outcomes for children with lower starting points
• Leaders' improvements have not yet had sufficient impact on end-of-Year 6 test results

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 Dee Point Primary School attended 93.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 17.9% 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, 2.7% of pupils at Dee Point 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 Dee Point Primary School had 17.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 11.5% 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, 25.6% of pupils at Dee Point Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 14.0% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has resourced provision with 42 pupils.

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 Dee Point Primary School received £9,254 and spent £8,229 for each of its 475 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £324,000 (£682 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 Dee Point Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Dee Point Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Dee Point Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Dee Point Primary School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Dee Point Primary School have?

Dee Point Primary School has 485 pupils on roll.

What age range does Dee Point Primary School cover?

Dee Point Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 40% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Dee Point Primary School?

Dee Point Primary School is at Blacon Point Road, Blacon, Chester, Cheshire, CH1 5NF.