Willaston CofE Primary School

About Willaston CofE Primary School

Willaston CofE Primary School sits within Cheshire West and Chester, a local authority that includes 128 primary schools, 14 of which hold an Outstanding rating from Ofsted. Willaston is one of them. In the LA’s own ranking of primary schools by KS2 performance, it places 11th out of 110, putting it in the top 10 per cent locally. Its nearest Outstanding-rated neighbour is Childer Thornton Primary School, four kilometres away, which also ranks among the LA’s top three peers alongside Bishop Wilson Church of England Primary School and Delamere CofE Primary Academy. Willaston’s own ranking score of 81 places it just behind those three, but still well within the strongest tier of primary provision in the area. The school is a Church of England state primary for mixed genders, ages four to eleven, with 214 pupils on roll — slightly over its official capacity of 210. Headteacher Gary Graham leads a school that is clearly in demand locally.

Academically, Willaston’s most recent KS2 results, from the 2023/24 academic year, show strong performance across reading, writing and maths. 81 per cent of pupils reached the expected standard in all three subjects, well above the local authority average of 61 per cent. In reading, 91 per cent met the expected standard and 56 per cent reached the higher standard, with an average scaled score of 110. In maths, 91 per cent met the expected standard and 44 per cent reached the higher standard, with an average score of 107. Writing saw 84 per cent at the expected level and 34 per cent at the higher level. The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2024, awarded Outstanding across every category: overall effectiveness, quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. This marks a clear improvement from its previous inspection in 2012, when it was rated Good overall, with Good for leadership and management.

The school is oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, there were 77 applications for 30 places, a ratio of 2.57 applicants per place, with 44 first-preference applications and 29 first-preference offers made. Facilities include a library, playing fields, an outdoor playground, art studios, a sports hall, a dining hall and a chapel. Sports on offer include swimming, cricket, tennis and gymnastics, and clubs include gardening, eco club, art club and choir. The school’s SEND provisions cover speech, language and communication needs, autistic spectrum disorder, and other difficulties or disabilities. Willaston is a good fit for families who prioritise strong academic outcomes within a Church of England setting, who are comfortable with a school that is oversubscribed and popular, and who want a primary that has been judged Outstanding across the board in its most recent inspection.

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