The Arches Community Primary School

About The Arches Community Primary School

The Arches Community Primary School in Cheshire West and Chester holds a Good rating from Ofsted, a grade it has maintained across its two most recent inspections, the latest of which took place in 2023. In that inspection, every category — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision — was judged Good. The most telling exam metric for this primary school is the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which stands at 61%. That figure is exactly in line with the local authority average for Cheshire West and Chester, placing the school in the middle of the pack. Nationally, it ranks in the 54th percentile among all primary schools, and within the local authority it sits 57th out of 128 schools. The school’s ranking score of 61 places it in the bottom half of schools nationally, but the data shows a solid, consistent performance rather than any dramatic weakness.

Looking more closely at the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, the picture is one of mixed strengths. In reading, 87% of pupils met the expected standard, with an average scaled score of 105, and 32% reached the higher standard. Maths was similarly strong: 84% at expected, an average score of 105, and 29% at the higher level. Writing was the relative weak spot, with 68% at expected and only 16% reaching the higher standard. The combined expected figure of 61% is dragged down by writing, but the school’s reading and maths outcomes are notably above the national average. Progress scores are not available in the data, so it is not possible to say how much value the school adds from starting points. The school has no sixth form, as it is a primary, and no nursery provision. Its most recent Ofsted report is from July 2023, and the previous graded inspection was in May 2014, both resulting in Good.

The school is oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, it received 34 applications for 16 places, with 15 of those coming as first preferences, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.13. It serves a community with high levels of disadvantage — 51.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the national average. The school has a broad range of facilities including a sensory room, music rooms, an ICT suite, a gymnasium, playing fields, a library and even a chapel. Sports offered include athletics, swimming, dance and tennis, and clubs range from book club and drama to gardening, eco club, choir and chess. SEND provision is extensive, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social and emotional mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, hearing impairment, autistic spectrum disorder and other difficulties. This is a school that suits families looking for a well-supported, inclusive environment in a community with high FSM eligibility, where the academic focus is solid in reading and maths but writing is an area for development.

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