Upton Heath CofE Primary School

Upton Heath Church of England Primary School is performing well and has been rated as good across all domains during its latest inspection. The school has successfully fostered a positive environment where pupils feel safe, supported, and valued, enjoying both their relationships and learning experiences. The curriculum is well-structured, enabling pupils to build on their knowledge effectively, and teachers are committed to providing quality education. Parents appreciate the improvements since the last inspection, reflecting a community that is responsive to change and improvement.

Strengths

• Strong relationships among staff and students
• High expectations for student achievement
• Effective support for pupils with SEND
• Revitalized curriculum meeting students' needs
• Strong emphasis on language and communication skills
• Varied extracurricular opportunities to develop pupils' interests
• Proactive action on student attendance

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent strategies for checking pupils' retention of prior knowledge in a few subjects

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 Upton Heath CofE Primary School attended 96.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 7.5% 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, 1.2% of pupils at Upton Heath 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 Upton Heath CofE Primary School had 20.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 9.7% 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, 13.9% of pupils at Upton Heath CofE Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.3% 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 Upton Heath CofE Primary School received £7,017 and spent £6,605 for each of its 345 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £3,000 (-£9 per pupil).

Across all 27 schools of Chester Diocesan Academies Trust, income was £6,299 and spending £6,313 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 Chester · Cheshire West and Chester local authority: places and applications

Upton Heath CofE Primary School is part of Chester Diocesan Academies Trust, which runs 32 schools. The nearest others:

• St Oswald's CofE Primary School Chester
• Overleigh St Mary's Church of England Primary School Chester
• Little Sutton C of E Primary School Ellesmere Port
• Dodleston CofE Primary School Chester
• Huxley CofE Primary School Chester
• Kingsley St John's CofE Primary School Frodsham
• Clutton Church of England Primary School Chester
• Norley Church of England Primary School Frodsham
• St Mary's Church of England Primary School Runcorn
• Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School Tarporley

What is Upton Heath CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Upton Heath CofE Primary School is Good, from an inspection in April 2024.

When was Upton Heath CofE Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Upton Heath CofE Primary School was last inspected in April 2024.

How many pupils does Upton Heath CofE Primary School have?

Upton Heath CofE Primary School has 323 pupils on roll.

What age range does Upton Heath CofE Primary School cover?

Upton Heath CofE Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Upton Heath 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 Upton Heath CofE Primary School?

Upton Heath CofE Primary School is at Upton Lane, Upton Heath, Upton-by-Chester, Chester, Cheshire, CH2 1ED.