Daresbury Primary School

Daresbury Primary School is performing well overall, achieving a 'Good' rating across all inspected areas. This is the school's first inspection since it became an academy in 2016, following a previous outstanding evaluation of its predecessor. The school is noted for its supportive and safe environment where pupils feel valued and demonstrate positive behavior in line with the school's values. Significant strides have been made in improving the curriculum, ensuring that all pupils, including those with special educational needs, are able to achieve well. The leadership team's ambition for high standards is evident, and staff are supported in fostering confidence and independence among pupils.

Strengths

• Pupils benefit from a supportive and caring school environment.
• Leaders have implemented an ambitious curriculum with significant improvements.
• Pupils make great progress in their personal development.
• Behaviour across the school is consistently good, reflecting leaders' high expectations.
• Pupils with SEND are effectively supported and can access the full curriculum.
• The school promotes a sense of citizenship through various leadership opportunities.
• Leaders prioritize staff well-being and workload management.

Areas for Improvement

• Some subject leaders lack the skills and confidence needed for effective curriculum delivery.
• The phonics curriculum is in the early stages of implementation, requiring further staff training.
• In certain subjects, staff are still adjusting to the recently refined curriculums, impacting students' knowledge development.

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 Daresbury Primary School attended 95.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 11.1% 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 Daresbury 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 Daresbury Primary School had 26.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 43.9% 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, 13.6% of pupils at Daresbury Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.5% 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 2024–25 Daresbury Primary School received £6,582 and spent £6,671 for each of its 201 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £64,000 (-£319 per pupil).

Across all 8 schools of The Heath Family (North West), income was £8,879 and spending £8,893 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Warrington · Halton local authority: places and applications

Daresbury Primary School is part of The Heath Family (North West), which runs 8 schools. The nearest others:

• Bridgewater Park Primary School Runcorn
• Palace Fields Primary Academy Runcorn
• The Heath School Runcorn
• Halsnead Primary School Prescot
• The Prescot School Liverpool
• Litherland Moss Primary School Liverpool
• Litherland High School Liverpool

What is Daresbury Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Daresbury Primary School is Good, from an inspection in April 2023.

When was Daresbury Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Daresbury Primary School was last inspected in April 2023.

How many pupils does Daresbury Primary School have?

Daresbury Primary School has 199 pupils on roll.

What age range does Daresbury Primary School cover?

Daresbury Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 85% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Daresbury Primary School?

Daresbury Primary School is at Chester Road, Daresbury, Warrington, Cheshire, WA4 4AJ.