School Chooser

Boughton Heath Academy

Primary · ages 4-11MixedAcademy225 pupilsChesterCheshire West and Chester
School Chooser Score
98
Well above
similar schools
Likely range 96 to 100
Out of 100. Better than 90% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
OfstedOutstandingLast Ofsted inspection, July 2024
Reached the expected level at 1188%England 63%
Attendance96.2%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families5%Far fewer than most schools
Places1 spare225 pupils, 226 places
Pupils per teacher25.6School workforce census

Boughton Heath Academy is a converter academy in Chester for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 225 pupils and room for 226. About 5 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 98 out of 100. That puts it well above schools like it, ahead of 90% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was outstanding, back in 2024.

Becketts Lane, Great Boughton, Chester, CH3 5RW01244 732000boughtonheath.cheshire.sch.ukMr Jon Lenton principalAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 16 July 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Outstanding overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Outstanding
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Outstanding
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Outstanding
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Outstanding
Early years
Outstanding
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

34 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1188%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level18%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score108.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score108.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 87%87%20172018: 88%88%20182019: 88%88%20192023: 79%79%20232024: 74%74%20242025: 88%88%2025
Since 2017: +1%Steady overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017Cheshire West and ChesterEngland
Pupils tested343434323230
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths88%74%79%88%88%87%62%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths18%15%12%25%19%40%6%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score108.0109.0110.0109.0108.0109.0105.9105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score108.0106.0107.0109.0107.0110.0104.5104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score108.0109.0106.0108.0108.0110.0105.2105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard91%94%94%91%91%90%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard94%79%88%97%91%90%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)91%91%88%97%97%90%
Reading progressReading progress score+5.1+1.1+0.4+1.4
Maths progressMaths progress score+3.1+1.4+0.1+2.2

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. None of the gaps is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
80%95%
Gap 15 ptsEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Full226 pupils for 210 places, 2024/25
108% full

The school is full, with 16 more pupils than it has places for. More families apply than can get in, so things like how close you live and whether an older brother or sister is already here decide who gets a place. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Cheshire West and Chester council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll225Census January 2026
Places226100% full
Pupils from low-income families5%5% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English12%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support5%11 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan1%3 pupils with a plan
Average class size32.56 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils67%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)4%£12,400 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls130 / 95
White British pupils77%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 30.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 33.8 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (5), Moderate learning difficulty (3), Other difficulty or disability (2), Autistic spectrum disorder (1), Multi-sensory impairment (1), Specific learning difficulty (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll225223216220224217
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals5%5%4%2%3%2%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language12%14%14%13%8%6%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support5%4%6%8%4%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans2%1%1%1%1%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 96.2% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance96.2%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school5.1%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils1.42024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission0.9%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence3.8%4.0%4.3%3.4%3.7%3.0%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence2.9%3.0%3.4%2.8%3.5%2.3%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.9%1.0%0.9%0.6%0.2%0.7%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence5.1%5.1%8.2%4.1%13.0%3.3%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate1.41.90.00.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers8.8full-time equivalent, 10 people
Pupils per teacher25.6Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants3.6full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£50,875
Teachers who left in the year17%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher0.82024/25

Money

From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£5,552England £7,128. Total £1.2m
Income per pupil£6,022England £7,587. Total £1.3m
Spent on teachers per pupil£2,691England £3,405
Money in reserve15%A healthy amount put by: £205k, £919 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£105kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£5,552spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m15712 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate31 per 1,000 people67% lower than the England average
Typical house price£260,000Cheshire West and Chester
Nearest bus stop120 mHeather Court, 20 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Cherry Grove Primary SchoolCouncil560 m274Not inspected73Compare
Hoole Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy0.8 miles395Not inspectedCompare
St Werburgh's and St Columba's Catholic Primary SchoolRoman Catholic0.8 miles307Good 202486Compare
Oldfield Primary SchoolAcademy0.8 miles207Good 202349Compare
The Grosvenor Park Church of England AcademyFree school1.0 miles198Good 202349Compare
Christleton Primary SchoolCouncil1.0 miles220No overall grade 202479Compare
St Martin's Academy ChesterFree school1.1 miles177No overall grade 202499Compare
Huntington Community Primary SchoolCouncil1.2 miles385Good 202357Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Boughton Heath Academy with the 49 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 49 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats90%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the top quarter of its group. Its score of 98 is 16 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 19 · middle 82 · highest 100100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 98 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 98% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 96 to 100. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years25%above
+0.25
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 34 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%well above
+0.43
Ofsted grade, 2.2 years old
Progress pupils make20%well above
+0.30
DfE progress measure; 34 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%above
+0.04
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%well above
+0.11
2024/25; 197 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%well above
+0.11
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 34 pupils
What parents say0%no data

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Boughton Heath Academy a good school?

Yes, going by the figures. Boughton Heath Academy scores 98 out of 100. That is well above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 90% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 96 to 100, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is Boughton Heath Academy's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Boughton Heath Academy outstanding at its last full inspection on 16 July 2024.

How good are Boughton Heath Academy's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 88% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 18% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Boughton Heath Academy have?

225 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 226 places, so it is 100% full.

Is Boughton Heath Academy oversubscribed?

Probably. The school was full in 2024/25, with 16 more pupils than places. How close you live, and the school's other admissions rules, decide who gets in.

What is attendance like at Boughton Heath Academy?

Pupils were in school 96.2% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 5% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Boughton Heath Academy?

The average class had 32.5 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 67% of classes had more than 30 pupils.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Becketts Lane, Great Boughton, Chester, CH3 5RW
Telephone
01244 732000
Website
www.boughtonheath.cheshire.sch.uk
Principal
Mr Jon Lenton
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
Cheshire Academies Trust (13 schools)
Local authority
Cheshire West and Chester
Ward
Great Boughton
Constituency
Chester North and Neston
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 January 2015 (academy converter)
URN
141614 · LAESTAB 8962357 · UKPRN 10048353
Formerly
Boughton Heath Primary School

Where these figures come from