Latchford St James CofE Primary School

Latchford St James CofE Primary School is a small Church of England primary school that is performing at the expected standard in most areas, with safeguarding met. Pupils achieve well from their starting points and are generally well prepared for the next stage. Published key stage 2 outcomes in reading and writing are below national averages, but inspectors found these do not fully reflect pupils' progress because many join mid-year with gaps; leaders identify and address those gaps quickly. Pupils with SEND make swift progress, disadvantaged pupils' attendance is above national, and behaviour is positive. Strengths include a well-organised curriculum, embedded phonics, effective reading and mathematics teaching, strong inclusion and targeted support for pupils with English as an additional language and disadvantaged pupils, and high-quality pastoral care. Pupils feel safe, bullying is rare, and personal development is carefully planned. Early years has positive features, including strong language and communication support and early reading, but provision is inconsistent. The main concerns are leadership and governance, which need attention after a period of significant turbulence. The staff body is fractured and some staff do not feel valued or part of leaders' vision, slowing improvement. Improvement strategies lack precision, professional development is not cohesive enough, early years teaching and outdoor provision are uneven, assessment use varies, and enrichment is limited. Leaders are taking action with local authority support, governance is improving, and pupils remain at the centre of decisions.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve well from their starting points, including those with SEND and those who join mid-year.
• Disadvantaged pupils' attendance is above the national average, and persistent absence has been reduced.
• Pupils behave well, with clear routines, high expectations and effective support for regulation.
• The curriculum is well organised, broad and typically taught well.
• Phonics is embedded and struggling readers receive highly effective support.
• Mathematics teaching is strong, helping pupils build and secure foundational knowledge.
• Inclusion is a strength: needs are identified swiftly and EAL pupils benefit from targeted interventions.
• Additional funding is used well to remove barriers for disadvantaged pupils.
• Personal development is carefully sequenced, with strong pastoral support and enriching trips.
• Pupils feel safe, bullying is very rare, and relationships with staff are warm and respectful.
• Leaders and staff work well with parents, carers and external agencies.
• Safeguarding standards are met.

Areas for Improvement

• Leaders have not ensured staff feel part of their vision, and the staff body remains fractured and unsettled.
• Improvement strategies lack sufficient precision to secure the intended changes.
• Professional development lacks cohesion and dedicated time for staff to practise and embed learning.
• Early years teaching is inconsistent, and continuous provision and outdoor resources are uneven.
• Assessment use varies in how well it helps pupils remember learning over time.
• The enrichment offer is limited, particularly in music, restricting pupils' broader experiences.
• Governors were previously not rigorous enough in challenging leaders, although this is beginning to change.

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 Latchford St James CofE Primary School attended 95.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 10.4% 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 Latchford St James CofE 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 Latchford St James CofE Primary School had 19.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 19.6% 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, 11.2% of pupils at Latchford St James CofE Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.1% 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 Latchford St James CofE Primary School received £6,824 and spent £7,607 for each of its 183 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £143,000 (-£783 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 Warrington · Warrington local authority: places and applications

What is Latchford St James CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Latchford St James CofE Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was Latchford St James CofE Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Latchford St James CofE Primary School was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does Latchford St James CofE Primary School have?

Latchford St James CofE Primary School has 188 pupils on roll.

What age range does Latchford St James CofE Primary School cover?

Latchford St James CofE Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Latchford St James CofE Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 52% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Latchford St James CofE Primary School?

Latchford St James CofE Primary School is at Old Road, Warrington, Cheshire, WA4 1AP.