Ofsted: Requires improvement trending_up Places Available emoji_events #114 in Cheshire West and Chester public Top 96% UK

Barrow CofE Primary School

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMr Paul Hudson

location_onChester, CH3 7HW

language Visit Website phone 1244445154

verified

Ofsted

Requires improvement

Inspected 2023

groups

Students

school

Expected Standard

33%

local_fire_department

Demand Ratio

1.0x

summarize

Barrow CofE Primary School is a Voluntary controlled school primary school in Chester, serving ages 4-11. Currently Requires Improvement according to Ofsted — the school is working to raise standards. Ranks in the top 96% of primary schools nationally.

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School Summary

Barrow CofE Primary School is a voluntary controlled school in Chester, Cheshire West and Chester, admitting pupils aged 4-11. The school has approximately 51 pupils on roll, of whom 22% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, 33% of pupils met the expected standard in Reading, Writing and Maths combined. The school ranks #114 of 116 primaries in Cheshire West and Chester and #13,780 of 14,143 nationally.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2023. The school's current overall rating is Requires improvement. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Requires improvement, behaviour and attitudes Good, personal development Requires improvement, and leadership and management Requires improvement.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 1.0× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 15.0:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 0.0 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

school

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

2025

R/W/M Expected Standard

33%

LA 59%

Reading50% LA 74%

Writing50% LA 70%

Maths33% LA 71%

Read SS

102

Maths SS

GPS SS

101

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2024

R/W/M Expected Standard

LA 58%England 61%

Reading-% LA 73% · Eng 74%

Writing-% LA 69% · Eng 72%

Maths-% LA 70% · Eng 73%

Read SS

Maths SS

GPS SS

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2023

R/W/M Expected Standard

67%

LA 57%England 60%

Reading67% LA 73% · Eng 73%

Writing67% LA 70% · Eng 71%

Maths67% LA 70% · Eng 73%

Read SS

106

Maths SS

102

GPS SS

109

Progress (0 = national avg)

-3.7

Read

LA 0.4

-8.7 to 1.4

-5.9

Write

LA 0.1

-10.7 to -1.0

-1.1

Maths

LA -0.4

-5.8 to 3.7

2019

R/W/M Expected Standard

64%

LA 63%England 65%

Reading91% LA 74% · Eng 73%

Writing82% LA 75% · Eng 78%

Maths64% LA 76% · Eng 79%

Read SS

106

Maths SS

101

GPS SS

102

Progress (0 = national avg)

1.6

Read

LA 0.2

-2.4 to 5.6

0.1

Write

LA -0.7

-3.6 to 3.8

-4.5

Maths

LA -0.4

-8.0 to -0.9

2018

R/W/M Expected Standard

33%

LA 62%

Reading60% LA 77%

Writing40% LA 73%

Maths40% LA 74%

Read SS

106

Maths SS

GPS SS

102

Progress (0 = national avg)

-0.1

Read

LA 0.4

-3.1 to 2.9

-6.3

Write

LA -1.1

-9.2 to -3.4

-6.4

Maths

LA -0.3

-9.1 to -3.7

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

27 June 2023

Inspection Report

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27 April 2022

Inspection Report

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16 February 2017

Inspection Report

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07 December 2012

Inspection Report

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07 January 2011

Inspection Report

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17 June 2008

Inspection Report

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01 November 2004

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

4 Evaluations

2023-06-27

S5 Inspection EIF

Requires improvement

Education

Requires improvement

Behaviour

Good

Development

Requires improvement

Leadership

Requires improvement

2017-02-16

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

2012-12-07

S5 Inspection Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2008-06-17

None EIF

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

0.0%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

National average: 0.8% for this term (primary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

0.0%(0 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 1.225% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 51 pupils. During this period, there were 0 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 0.0%, which is below the termly national average of 0.8%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg
2024/25 (Spring term)	51	0	0.0%	0.8%
2024/25 (Autumn term)	55	0	0.0%	0.9%
2023/24 (Summer term)	57	0	0.0%	0.8%
2023/24 (Spring term)	54	0	0.0%	0.7%
2023/24 (Autumn term)	48	0	0.0%	0.8%
2022/23 (Summer term)	51	0	0.0%	0.7%
2022/23 (Spring term)	48	0	0.0%	0.6%
2022/23 (Autumn term)	46	0	0.0%	0.6%
2021/22 (Summer term)	38	0	0.0%	0.5%
2021/22 (Spring term)	38	0	0.0%	0.5%
2021/22 (Autumn term)	38	0	0.0%	0.5%
2020/21 (Summer term)	42	0	0.0%	0.4%
2020/21 (Spring term)	42	0	0.0%	0.1%
2020/21 (Autumn term)	43	0	0.0%	0.4%
2019/20 (Summer term)	44	0	0.0%	0.0%
2019/20 (Spring term)	44	0	0.0%	0.4%
2019/20 (Autumn term)	45	0	0.0%	0.6%
2018/19 (Summer term)	59	0	0.0%	0.4%
2018/19 (Spring term)	77	2	2.6%	0.5%
2018/19 (Autumn term)	73	3	4.1%	0.5%
2017/18 (Summer term)	77	3	3.9%	0.5%
2017/18 (Spring term)	77	1	1.3%	0.4%
2017/18 (Autumn term)	76	2	2.6%	0.5%
2016/17 (Summer term)	70	1	1.4%	0.4%
2016/17 (Spring term)	70	1	1.4%	0.4%
2016/17 (Autumn term)	71	0	0.0%	0.5%

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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psychology_alt

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Specific Learning Difficulty 2 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 2 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 1 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 1 pupils

Multi-Sensory Impairment 1 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 1 pupils

health_and_safety

Parent View on Pastoral Care

Results from the official Ofsted Parent View survey, reflecting direct parent sentiment regarding the school environment.

My child is happy at this school.

100.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

100.0%Positive

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

29.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree78%

agree22%

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

strongly agree67%

agree22%

disagree7%

don't know4%

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

strongly agree52%

agree4%

not applicable44%

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

strongly agree74%

agree15%

don't know11%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree85%

agree15%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree85%

agree15%

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

strongly agree81%

agree19%

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

strongly agree67%

agree33%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree85%

agree15%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes100%

Top Primary Schools in Cheshire West and Chester

Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

View all arrow_forward

Woodfall Primary and Nursery School

Outstanding

location_on Neston, CH64 4BT

emoji_events #1 in LA

Charles Darwin Community Primary School

Good

location_on Northwich, CW8 1BN

emoji_events #2 in LA

Victoria Road Primary School

Good

location_on Northwich, CW9 5RE

emoji_events #3 in LA

Barnton Community Nursery and Primary School

Outstanding

location_on Northwich, CW8 4QL

emoji_events #4 in LA

Elton Primary School

Good

location_on Chester, CH2 4LT

emoji_events #5 in LA

St Mary of the Angels Catholic Primary School

Good

location_on Ellesmere Port, CH66 1NN

emoji_events #6 in LA

View all schools in Cheshire West and Chester arrow_forward

School Summary

Academic Performance

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Faith Priority (Church of England)

Distance to School

School Capacity

Primary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Parent View on Pastoral Care

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

My child does well at this school.

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

I would recommend this school to another parent.

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Primary Schools in Cheshire West and Chester

Woodfall Primary and Nursery School

Charles Darwin Community Primary School

Victoria Road Primary School

Barnton Community Nursery and Primary School

Elton Primary School

St Mary of the Angels Catholic Primary School