St Oswald's CofE Primary School

St Oswald's CofE Primary School is a small Church of England primary in the Chester Diocesan Academies Trust. This was its first inspection since joining the trust, and it was led by an acting headteacher following recent leadership instability. Safeguarding standards are met. Pupils are happy, safe and attend well, behaviour is positive, and the early years and personal development offer are notable strengths. Leaders have an accurate view of the school, have introduced a new curriculum, improved attendance and strengthened multiplication knowledge. By the end of Year 6, pupils attain above national averages in reading, writing and mathematics. However, achievement, curriculum and teaching, and inclusion need attention. In some subjects, pupils' achievement is variable and a small number do not develop sufficient depth, making it harder for them to recall and build on prior learning. Teachers sometimes move through curriculum content too quickly, creating gaps for some pupils, including those with SEND. Support for pupils with SEND is not consistently tailored to their individual needs, and leaders do not always check or support this provision effectively. Some older pupils also do not write neatly or spell accurately, which affects how clearly they communicate. The school's next steps are to ensure the curriculum is taught consistently well, gaps in learning are identified and resolved, and pupils write fluently across the curriculum. Leaders also need a more systematic approach to cultural development so that all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, can take full advantage of the rich offer. Overall, the school has many strengths but must improve consistency in teaching, SEND provision and enrichment to ensure all pupils are well prepared for their next stage.

Strengths

• Pupils are warmly welcomed and are happy, safe and positive about school.
• Pupils behave well, show positive attitudes to learning and build strong friendships.
• Staff are well trained to support pupils who have difficulty managing their emotions.
• The early years curriculum is well thought out and excites children through high-quality stories and enriching activities.
• Leaders and the trust have an accurate understanding of what the school does well and what needs to improve.
• Governance meets statutory duties and holds leaders to account.
• Staff feel proud and supported, and leaders have generally safeguarded workload and wellbeing during turbulence.
• Personal development is purposeful, with pupil voice, sports, music, clubs and enrichment opportunities.
• Pupils attain above national averages in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.
• Reading is typically taught well, and pupils' grasp of multiplication facts is improving.
• Disadvantaged pupils are well supported through additional funding, and alternative provision is used well.
• Pupils are kind to each other, and older pupils act as buddies for younger children.

Areas for Improvement

• Achievement is variable in a small number of subjects, with some pupils lacking depth of understanding.
• Some pupils, including those with SEND, do not secure knowledge because teachers move through curriculum content too quickly.
• Support for pupils with SEND is not consistently tailored to their specific needs or broken into small enough steps.
• Leaders do not consistently check or support SEND provision effectively.
• Some older pupils do not write neatly or spell accurately, which hinders clear communication.
• Teachers do not consistently demand high enough standards of presentation and spelling, especially in key stage 2.
• Enrichment and cultural opportunities are not built systematically across the school and can be ad hoc.
• Some disadvantaged pupils may miss out on enriching opportunities.
• Early years staff sometimes do not give children with SEND enough time and support to secure early reading and writing knowledge.
• Some pupils are not as well prepared as they should be for their next stage because of gaps across the curriculum.

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 St Oswald's CofE Primary School attended 94.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.6% 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 St Oswald's 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 St Oswald's CofE Primary School had 18.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 51.5% 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, 12.7% of pupils at St Oswald's CofE Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.9% 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 St Oswald's CofE Primary School received £7,811 and spent £7,208 for each of its 109 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £61,000 (£559 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.

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All schools in Chester · Cheshire West and Chester local authority: places and applications

St Oswald's CofE Primary School is part of Chester Diocesan Academies Trust, which runs 32 schools. The nearest others:

• Upton Heath 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
• Oxton St Saviour's CofE Primary School Prenton
• St Mary's Church of England Primary School Runcorn

What is St Oswald's CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Oswald's CofE Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was St Oswald's CofE Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

St Oswald's CofE Primary School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does St Oswald's CofE Primary School have?

St Oswald's CofE Primary School has 102 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Oswald's CofE Primary School cover?

St Oswald's CofE Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 78% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Oswald's CofE Primary School?

St Oswald's CofE Primary School is at Grove Road, Mollington, Chester, Cheshire, CH1 6LG.