Barnton Community Nursery and Primary School

Barnton Community Nursery and Primary School has received an outstanding rating across all evaluated areas during its recent inspection in October 2023. The school demonstrates exceptional quality of education, strong leadership, and a deep commitment to pupil personal development. The environment fosters high expectations, exemplified by pupils' outstanding behavior, achievements in learning, and their engagement in a wide range of enriching extracurricular activities. Notably, the provision for students with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is particularly effective, allowing these pupils to thrive alongside their peers.

Strengths

• Exceptional quality of education across all subjects
• High expectations set by staff for pupil performance
• Effective support and provisions for pupils with SEND
• Strong leadership and management from headteacher and trustees
• Engaging and diverse extracurricular activities
• Fostering pupils' personal development and respect for differences
• High rates of pupil attendance and strong behavior

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 Barnton Community Nursery and Primary School attended 95.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 5.7% 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, 0.8% of pupils at Barnton Community Nursery and 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 Barnton Community Nursery and Primary School had 21.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 16.8% 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, 25.7% of pupils at Barnton Community Nursery and Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 7.5% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has resourced provision with 28 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 2024–25 Barnton Community Nursery and Primary School received £7,063 and spent £7,327 for each of its 455 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £256,000 (£563 per pupil).

Across all 6 schools of Weaver Trust Limited, income was £7,638 and spending £7,605 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 Northwich · Cheshire West and Chester local authority: places and applications

Barnton Community Nursery and Primary School is part of Weaver Trust Limited, which runs 6 schools. The nearest others:

• Comberbach Nursery and Primary School Northwich
• Leftwich Community Primary School Northwich
• Grange Community Nursery and Primary School Winsford
• Halton Lodge Nursery & Primary School Runcorn
• Westminster Community Primary School Ellesmere Port

What is Barnton Community Nursery and Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Barnton Community Nursery and Primary School is Outstanding, from an inspection in November 2023.

When was Barnton Community Nursery and Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Barnton Community Nursery and Primary School was last inspected in November 2023.

How many pupils does Barnton Community Nursery and Primary School have?

Barnton Community Nursery and Primary School has 482 pupils on roll.

What age range does Barnton Community Nursery and Primary School cover?

Barnton Community Nursery and Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Barnton Community Nursery and Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 82% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Barnton Community Nursery and Primary School?

Barnton Community Nursery and Primary School is at Townfield Lane, Barnton, Northwich, Cheshire, CW8 4QL.