Dodleston CofE Primary School
Dodleston CofE Primary School is a converter academy in Chester for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 65 pupils and room for 84. About 12 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England.
Church Road, Dodleston, Chester, CH4 9NG01244 662990dodlestonceprimary.co.ukMrs Clare Swindley headteacherAll details
Ofsted
Ofsted hasn't published an inspection for this school yet. That is normal for a school that opened in 2024: new schools usually get their first inspection within three years.
Results
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025
10 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024† | 2023† | 2019† | 2018† | 2017† | Cheshire West and Chester | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 10 | 11 | 15 | 17 | 12 | 12 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 60% | 55% | 47% | 88% | 83% | 58% | 62% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 18% | 7% | 18% | 0% | 17% | 6% | 8% |
| Reading scoreReading average scaled score | 108.0 | 105.0 | 106.0 | 107.0 | 107.0 | 110.0 | 105.9 | 105.6 |
| Maths scoreMaths average scaled score | 103.0 | 105.0 | 103.0 | 105.0 | 106.0 | 105.0 | 104.5 | 104.6 |
| Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score | 106.0 | 107.0 | 106.0 | 109.0 | 108.0 | 109.0 | 105.2 | 105.2 |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | 80% | 73% | 73% | 94% | 83% | 92% | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | 70% | 73% | 53% | 94% | 83% | 75% | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | 60% | 73% | 67% | 88% | 92% | 58% | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | +5.2 | +2.3 | -0.6 | +3.8 | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | +2.5 | +0.6 | +1.1 | -0.5 | – | – |
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.
† These results are for Dodleston CofE Primary School, the school this one replaced in April 2024. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
Getting a place
Admissions policy not published. As a Church of England school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.
Cheshire West and Chester council has drawn an official catchment area for this school. You can see it on the map below; it covers about 13 square kilometres. Living inside it moves your child up the queue when there are more applicants than places. It doesn't guarantee a place: the council's admissions rules decide the order.
Set your home postcode at the top of the page to see whether you live inside it.
About 9 places were empty, so most families who apply get in, though a popular year group can still fill up.
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.
What a home inside the catchment costs
Every home sold inside the council's catchment area, of any type, from HM Land Registry records. If homes here cost more than the district average, that is the price people pay to live close enough to get in.
Who goes here
Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.
Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 11.5 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 21.0 (England 27.3).
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Specific learning difficulty (6), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (3), emotional and mental health (2), language and communications needs (2), Moderate learning difficulty (1), Other difficulty or disability (1).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 65 | 73 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 12% | 11% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 3% | 7% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 8% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 4% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 91.1% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24† | 2022/23† | 2021/22† | 2020/21† | 2018/19† | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 9.0% | 7.2% | 9.0% | 6.9% | 4.5% | 3.7% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 5.0% | 5.1% | 6.6% | 5.2% | 4.0% | 2.7% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 4.0% | 2.1% | 2.4% | 1.7% | 0.5% | 1.1% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 21.7% | 19.2% | 27.9% | 20.8% | 13.7% | 6.3% | 12.8% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 0.0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
† These attendance figures are for Dodleston CofE Primary School, the school this one replaced in April 2024. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
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.
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
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.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ysgol Derwen | Foundation | 1.8 miles | 187 | Estyn, no grade | – | Compare |
| Broughton Primary School | Council | 2.0 miles | 584 | Estyn, no grade | – | Compare |
| Kings Moat Community Primary School | Free school | 2.3 miles | – | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| St Peter's CIW Voluntary Controlled Primary School | Church in Wales | 2.4 miles | 205 | Estyn, no grade | – | Compare |
| Saltney Wood Memorial C.P. School | Council | 2.5 miles | 169 | Estyn, no grade | – | Compare |
| Saltney Ferry C.P. School | Council | 2.6 miles | 137 | Estyn, no grade | – | Compare |
| Lache Primary School | Academy | 2.7 miles | 169 | Good 2024 | 41 | Compare |
| St Clare's Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 2.7 miles | 163 | Not inspected | 34 | Compare |
Questions parents ask
Is Dodleston CofE Primary School a good school?
We don't have enough published data to score Dodleston CofE Primary School yet.
How good are Dodleston CofE Primary School's SATs results?
In summer 2025, 60% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level. The year group was small, so the percentages jump around a lot from year to year.
How many pupils does Dodleston CofE Primary School have?
65 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 84 places, so it is 77% full.
Is Dodleston CofE Primary School oversubscribed?
Probably not. 9 places were empty in 2024/25 (11% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.
What is attendance like at Dodleston CofE Primary School?
Pupils were in school 91.1% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 22% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at Dodleston CofE Primary School?
The average class had 16.3 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class 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
- Church Road, Dodleston, Chester, CH4 9NG
- Telephone
- 01244 662990
- Website
- www.dodlestonceprimary.co.uk
- Headteacher
- Mrs Clare Swindley
- Type of school
- Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
- Phase
- Primary school, ages 4-11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England, Diocese of Chester
- Multi-academy trust
- Chester Diocesan Academies Trust (32 schools)
- Local authority
- Cheshire West and Chester
- Ward
- Christleton & Huntington
- Constituency
- Chester South and Eddisbury
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 April 2024 (academy converter)
- URN
- 150464 · LAESTAB 8963151 · UKPRN 10094083
- Formerly
- Dodleston CofE Primary School
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- Year 6 results: DfE key stage 2 tables, 2024/25.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- Catchment area: Cheshire West and Chester council open data (Open Government Licence), reprojected to WGS84.
- House prices: HM Land Registry price paid data, December 2023 to December 2025, placed by postcode.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.