Ofsted: Outstanding trending_up High Demand emoji_events #16 in Cheshire West and Chester public Top 1% UK

St Martin's Academy Chester

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

personMs Wenda Smith

corporate_fareNORTH WEST ACADEMIES TRUST LIMITED

location_onChester, CH2 3NG

language Visit Website phone 1244566166

verified

Ofsted

Outstanding

Inspected 2024

groups

Students

172

school

Expected Standard

96%

local_fire_department

Demand Ratio

1.7x

summarize

St Martin's Academy Chester is a Free schools primary school in Chester, serving ages 4-11. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted — the highest possible grade. Highly competitive: 1.7× more applications than places — plan well ahead. Ranks in the top 1% of primary schools nationally.

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School Summary

St Martin's Academy Chester is a free schools in Chester, Cheshire West and Chester, admitting pupils aged 4-11. It is part of NORTH WEST ACADEMIES TRUST LIMITED. The school has approximately 174 pupils on roll, of whom 6% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, 96% of pupils met the expected standard in Reading, Writing and Maths combined, with 32% achieving the higher standard. The school ranks #16 of 116 primaries in Cheshire West and Chester and #3,143 of 14,143 nationally.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2024. The school's current overall rating is Outstanding. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Outstanding, behaviour and attitudes Outstanding, personal development Outstanding, and leadership and management Outstanding.

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.7× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 18.4:1. 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

96%

LA 59%

Reading100% LA 74%

Writing96% LA 70%

Maths100% LA 71%

Read SS

112

Maths SS

111

GPS SS

111

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2024

R/W/M Expected Standard

84%

LA 58%England 61%

Reading84% LA 73% · Eng 74%

Writing100% LA 69% · Eng 72%

Maths92% LA 70% · Eng 73%

Read SS

108

Maths SS

108

GPS SS

109

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2023

R/W/M Expected Standard

71%

LA 57%England 60%

Reading76% LA 73% · Eng 73%

Writing95% LA 70% · Eng 71%

Maths86% LA 70% · Eng 73%

Read SS

106

Maths SS

104

GPS SS

104

Progress (0 = national avg)

-4.0

Read

LA 0.4

-6.7 to -1.3

-0.9

Write

LA 0.1

-3.5 to 1.7

-5.2

Maths

LA -0.4

-7.7 to -2.7

2019

R/W/M Expected Standard

LA 63%England 65%

Reading-% LA 74% · Eng 73%

Writing-% LA 75% · Eng 78%

Maths-% LA 76% · Eng 79%

Read SS

Maths SS

GPS SS

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

LA 0.2

Write

LA -0.7

Maths

LA -0.4

2018

R/W/M Expected Standard

LA 62%

Reading-% LA 77%

Writing-% LA 73%

Maths-% LA 74%

Read SS

Maths SS

GPS SS

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

LA 0.4

Write

LA -1.1

Maths

LA -0.3

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

03 December 2024

Inspection Report

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19 May 2015

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

2 Evaluations

2024-12-03

S5 Inspection EIF

Not Judged

info

Why no overall grade?

From autumn 2024, Ofsted stopped issuing a single headline grade (Outstanding / Good / RI / Inadequate). Instead, each inspection area is graded individually. This follows a major review after the death of headteacher Ruth Perry in 2023. The overall effectiveness field is left as "Not judged" in the published data.

Education

Outstanding

Behaviour

Outstanding

Development

Outstanding

Leadership

Outstanding

2015-05-19

S5 Inspection EIF

Outstanding

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

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 174 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)	174	0	0.0%	0.8%
2024/25 (Autumn term)	175	0	0.0%	0.9%
2023/24 (Summer term)	176	0	0.0%	0.8%
2023/24 (Spring term)	176	0	0.0%	0.7%
2023/24 (Autumn term)	176	1	0.6%	0.8%
2022/23 (Summer term)	173	0	0.0%	0.7%
2022/23 (Spring term)	172	0	0.0%	0.6%
2022/23 (Autumn term)	170	0	0.0%	0.6%
2021/22 (Summer term)	174	0	0.0%	0.5%
2021/22 (Spring term)	175	0	0.0%	0.5%
2021/22 (Autumn term)	175	0	0.0%	0.5%
2020/21 (Summer term)	175	0	0.0%	0.4%
2020/21 (Spring term)	175	0	0.0%	0.1%
2020/21 (Autumn term)	174	0	0.0%	0.4%
2019/20 (Summer term)	174	0	0.0%	0.0%
2019/20 (Spring term)	174	0	0.0%	0.4%
2019/20 (Autumn term)	177	0	0.0%	0.6%
2018/19 (Summer term)	150	0	0.0%	0.4%
2018/19 (Spring term)	150	0	0.0%	0.5%
2018/19 (Autumn term)	150	0	0.0%	0.5%
2017/18 (Summer term)	125	0	0.0%	0.5%
2017/18 (Spring term)	125	0	0.0%	0.4%
2017/18 (Autumn term)	125	0	0.0%	0.5%
2016/17 (Summer term)	100	0	0.0%	0.4%
2016/17 (Spring term)	100	0	0.0%	0.4%
2016/17 (Autumn term)	100	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.

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 7 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 5 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 4 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 2 pupils

Physical 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.

99.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

98.0%Positive

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

12.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree84%

agree13%

strongly disagree1%

don't know1%

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

strongly agree86%

agree12%

disagree1%

don't know1%

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

strongly agree40%

agree14%

disagree5%

strongly disagree1%

not applicable40%

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 agree86%

agree12%

don't know2%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree82%

agree14%

disagree2%

don't know1%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree73%

agree24%

disagree1%

don't know1%

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

strongly agree81%

agree18%

disagree1%

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

strongly agree80%

agree17%

disagree1%

don't know2%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree75%

agree17%

disagree6%

don't know2%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes95%

no5%

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

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