St Theresa's Catholic Primary School

About St Theresa's Catholic Primary School

St Theresa's Catholic Primary School in Cheshire West and Chester is a smaller-than-average state primary, with 179 pupils against a capacity of 210, leaving around 15% of places unfilled. That spare capacity is notable given the school's popularity: for the 2025/26 intake, it received 30 applications for 26 places, with 25 of those coming as first preferences, making it officially oversubscribed. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals stands at 34.1%, which is significantly above the national average for primary schools and suggests a catchment serving families with higher-than-typical levels of economic disadvantage. The school is Roman Catholic in character and takes children from age 3, with nursery provision on site. Headteacher Lisa Holland leads a mixed-gender, non-selective intake that reflects the local community's diversity in need and background.

Academically, the school's most recent Ofsted inspection in May 2024 rated it Good across every category: overall effectiveness, quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and early years provision. This is consistent with its previous Good rating from 2014. However, Key Stage 2 outcomes in the 2023/24 academic year place it in the bottom 50 nationally, ranking 100th out of 110 schools in the local authority. Just 38% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with the local authority average of 61%. Individual subject scores were mixed: 63% reached the expected standard in reading and 50% in writing, but only 53% did so in maths. The proportion achieving the higher standard in all three subjects was just 3%, though 31% did so in reading alone. Progress measures were not published for the school.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including a gymnasium, sports hall, ICT suite, library, forest school area, sensory room, and a chapel. Sports provision covers dance, gymnastics, football and swimming, while extracurricular clubs include coding, book club, science club and chess. SEND support is available for specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social and emotional mental health needs, and speech, language and communication difficulties. For families considering this school, the combination of a Good Ofsted rating, oversubscribed admissions, and a high FSM intake suggests a school that is well-regarded locally despite below-average KS2 results. It may particularly suit Catholic families seeking a faith-based primary with strong pastoral and SEND support, though those prioritising top academic outcomes may want to look at higher-performing peers in the area.

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