Duddon St Peter's CofE Primary School

About Duddon St Peter's CofE Primary School

Duddon St Peter's CofE Primary School sits well below the local authority average for Key Stage 2 outcomes, with just 44% of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with 61% across Cheshire West and Chester. This places the school in the bottom half of primary schools in the LA, ranked 92nd out of 110. The school's overall ranking score of 44 puts it firmly in the bottom 50% nationally too. However, the picture is more nuanced when you look at individual subjects. Reading and maths both hit a 67% expected standard, which is closer to the LA norm, and the average scaled scores of 103 in reading and 101 in maths are respectable. The real drag comes from writing, where only 44% of pupils met expectations, and no child achieved the higher standard in either writing or maths. The school is small, with just 73 pupils on roll against a capacity of 126, so these percentages represent very small numbers of children.

The most recent Ofsted inspection in January 2025 marked a clear improvement from the previous graded inspection in 2023, which had rated the school as Requires Improvement. Under headteacher Paul Hudson, the school has been judged Good across all areas: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. The inspection was a full graded visit, and the overall effectiveness was not judged, but every individual category now carries a Good rating. Parent feedback is overwhelmingly positive, with 100% of the 32 respondents saying they would recommend the school. Strong majorities strongly agreed that their child is happy (75%) and feels safe (84%), and 69% strongly agreed that their child can take part in clubs and activities. The school offers a range of clubs including chess, choir and art club, plus sports such as football, cricket, netball and gymnastics. Facilities include a library, sports hall, music rooms, art studios and a chapel.

Admissions are competitive for a school this size. For the 2025/26 intake, there were 11 applications for just 4 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.75, though all three first-preference applicants received offers. The school has a Church of England religious character and offers nursery provision for children from age 2. SEND support covers specific learning difficulties including dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, speech and language needs, social and emotional mental health needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. The nearest Outstanding-rated primary school is Kelsall Primary and Nursery School, 3.3 km away. Duddon St Peter's is best suited to families who value a small, village-style Church of England primary with strong pastoral care and a recent Ofsted turnaround, and who are comfortable that academic outcomes, particularly in writing, are currently below the local average.

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