Highfield Community Primary School

Highfield Community Primary is a welcoming, inclusive school where pupils feel safe and attend regularly. Safeguarding standards are met, and attendance and behaviour are strong: attendance is above national levels, including for disadvantaged pupils and especially for pupils with SEND, and pupils behave well in a calm, orderly environment. Early years provision is also strong, with an impressive curriculum, effective phonics and good preparation for Year 1. Inclusion is a notable strength, with leaders identifying barriers early and working closely with families and agencies. Overall achievement and curriculum and teaching are at the expected standard. Pupils generally learn and achieve well and are mostly prepared for the next stage, but attainment has been below national in combined reading, writing and mathematics in recent years. The latest Year 6 outcomes dipped because of a complex cohort, and disadvantaged pupils' outcomes vary, with a significant gap in 2024/25. Some pupils have gaps in knowledge across the curriculum, and errors in basic spelling, punctuation and grammar are not always addressed quickly enough. Personal development is well provided for, though pupils' knowledge of fundamental British values and world religions is not as secure as it could be. Leaders know the school well, have a clear inclusive vision, and provide strong support for staff. Governance is effective in meeting statutory duties. The next steps focus on ensuring improvement work raises attainment by the end of Year 6, particularly for disadvantaged pupils, and on making sure staff identify and address gaps and errors in pupils' knowledge and skills as soon as they arise.

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe, enjoy school and have a strong sense of belonging.
• Attendance is above national levels, including for disadvantaged pupils and especially for pupils with SEND.
• Pupils behave particularly well and contribute to a calm, orderly environment.
• Early years curriculum is impressive and prepares children very well for Year 1.
• Phonics teaching is effective and helps children become fluent, accurate readers.
• Inclusion is a major strength, with barriers identified early and effective support put in place.
• Leaders work closely with parents, carers and external agencies to meet pupils' needs.
• Staff are well supported through evidence-informed professional learning and feel valued.
• Pupils benefit from a wide range of personal development opportunities, clubs and trips.
• Support for pupils' social, emotional and mental health needs is highly effective.
• Safeguarding standards are met and there is an open culture of safeguarding.
• Governance provides effective support and challenge and meets statutory duties.

Areas for Improvement

• Attainment in reading, writing and mathematics combined has been below national average over the latest three years.
• Year 6 attainment dipped in the most recent year, particularly for the complex cohort.
• Disadvantaged pupils' outcomes are uneven and a significant disadvantage gap remains.
• Some pupils have gaps in knowledge across the curriculum.
• Errors in pupils' basic spelling, punctuation and grammar are not always addressed quickly enough and continue over time.
• Some curriculum improvements are recent and are still being embedded.
• Pupils' knowledge of fundamental British values and world religions is not as secure as it could be.
• Leaders need to ensure work to raise attainment by the end of Year 6 has the intended impact, especially for disadvantaged pupils.
• Staff should identify and address gaps and errors in pupils' knowledge and skills as soon as they arise.

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 Highfield Community Primary School attended 95.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.3% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Highfield Community 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 Highfield Community Primary School had 16.4 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, 22.9% of pupils at Highfield Community 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 Highfield Community Primary School received £7,941 and spent £7,649 for each of its 218 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £223,000 (£1,024 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 Highfield Community Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Highfield Community Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Highfield Community Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Highfield Community Primary School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Highfield Community Primary School have?

Highfield Community Primary School has 218 pupils on roll.

What age range does Highfield Community Primary School cover?

Highfield Community Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 50% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Highfield Community Primary School?

Highfield Community Primary School is at Blacon Point Road, Blacon, Chester, Cheshire, CH1 5LD.