St Winefride's Catholic Primary School

About St Winefride's Catholic Primary School

St Winefride's Catholic Primary School in Cheshire West and Chester is a smaller-than-average state primary, with 162 pupils on roll against a capacity of 210. That leaves around a quarter of its places empty, which is unusual in a local area where many schools are heavily subscribed. The school serves a notably diverse intake: 25.3% of pupils qualify for free school meals, well above the national primary average of around 23% and significantly higher than the Cheshire West and Chester average, which tends to sit closer to 15%. Despite this spare capacity, the school is officially oversubscribed for 2025/26 entry, receiving 40 applications for just 18 places — a ratio of 2.22 applicants per spot. Seventeen of those applications were first-preference choices, and all 17 received offers, suggesting that while demand is strong, the school is not turning away families who put it first. This combination of high FSM and strong first-preference uptake points to a school that is genuinely valued by its local Catholic community, even if it doesn't fill every desk.

Academically, St Winefride's sits in the bottom half of primary schools nationally, ranking 11,175th out of 13,686 schools on the key stage 2 reading, writing and maths expected standard measure. Just 48% of pupils reached the expected standard in all three subjects, compared with the local authority average of 61%. That said, the school's reading scores are a relative bright spot: the average scaled score was 105, and 70% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, with 26% achieving the higher standard. Maths was weaker, with an average score of 100 and only 63% at the expected level. Progress measures are not available in the data, so it's hard to say whether pupils are improving at a typical rate. In its most recent graded Ofsted inspection, back in 2014, the school was rated Good overall, with Good for leadership and management. An ungraded inspection in February 2024 confirmed that the school remains Good, a notable improvement from its 2012 Requires Improvement rating.

The school offers a solid range of facilities for its size, including a sports hall, gymnasium, playing fields and a chapel, reflecting its Catholic character. Sports provision is broad, with swimming, cross country, cricket, netball, tennis, gymnastics and football all on offer, plus clubs like science, gardening, film and drama. SEND support is well-documented, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, speech and language needs, social and emotional mental health, and autistic spectrum disorder. For families considering St Winefride's, the key takeaway is that it is a genuinely popular local Catholic primary with a strong community feel, but one where academic outcomes are below the LA average. It will suit parents who prioritise faith-based education and a supportive environment over league-table performance, and who are comfortable with a school that is not yet at full capacity despite healthy demand.

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