The Arches Community Primary School
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The Arches Community Primary School is a council school in Chester for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 180 pupils and room for 210. About 55 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 44 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 80% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.
Saughall Road, Blacon, Chester, CH1 5EZ01244 667660thearches.cheshire.sch.ukMrs Michelle Ashfield headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 18 July 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Good overall.
Results
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025
31 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | Cheshire West and Chester | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 31 | 31 | 34 | 33 | 30 | 29 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 65% | 61% | 53% | 73% | 57% | 48% | 62% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | 6% | 16% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 7% | 6% | 8% |
| Reading scoreReading average scaled score | 104.0 | 105.0 | 103.0 | 103.0 | 102.0 | 103.0 | 105.9 | 105.6 |
| Maths scoreMaths average scaled score | 104.0 | 105.0 | 105.0 | 104.0 | 106.0 | 102.0 | 104.5 | 104.6 |
| Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score | 106.0 | 110.0 | 106.0 | 107.0 | 104.0 | 104.0 | 105.2 | 105.2 |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | 77% | 87% | 62% | 82% | 70% | 72% | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | 74% | 84% | 76% | 79% | 83% | 55% | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | 71% | 68% | 59% | 82% | 77% | 79% | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | +0.1 | +0.8 | -1.4 | +2.5 | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | +2.5 | +1.3 | +2.0 | +0.5 | – | – |
| Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged | 60% | 54% | 53% | 71% | 53% | 36% | – | – |
| Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged | 69% | 67% | 53% | 75% | 62% | 60% | – | – |
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. 2 of the 3 gaps are 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
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.
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 0.6 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.
130 places were empty (41% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 17% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.
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 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.
Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 22.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 26.0 (England 27.3).
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (35), language and communications needs (31), Specific learning difficulty (6), Other difficulty or disability (5), Autistic spectrum disorder (4), Moderate learning difficulty (4).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 180 | 186 | 192 | 203 | 225 | 246 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 55% | 51% | 50% | 46% | 43% | 46% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 8% | 11% | 12% | 9% | 8% | 9% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 38% | 35% | 31% | 31% | 34% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 7% | 5% | 4% | 1% | 2% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 93.4% 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 | 6.6% | 7.1% | 7.9% | 7.6% | 3.8% | 4.4% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 5.0% | 5.9% | 6.4% | 6.2% | 3.1% | 3.3% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 1.6% | 1.2% | 1.5% | 1.4% | 0.6% | 1.0% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 19.8% | 24.4% | 25.7% | 21.3% | 9.1% | 11.6% | 12.8% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 5.9 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the council school accounts, year to March 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highfield Community Primary School | Council | 330 m | 218 | Good 2022 | 39 | Compare |
| St Theresa's Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 450 m | 179 | Good 2024 | 26 | Compare |
| J H Godwin Primary School | Council | 790 m | 161 | Report card 2026 | 2 | Compare |
| Dee Point Primary School | Council | 1000 m | 485 | Report card 2026 | 5 | Compare |
| Chester Blue Coat Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 1.2 miles | 369 | Good 2023 | 43 | Compare |
| Mill View Primary School | Academy | 1.7 miles | 242 | Outstanding 2024 | 99 | Compare |
| Upton Heath CofE Primary School | Academy | 1.8 miles | 323 | Good 2024 | 41 | Compare |
| St Oswald's CofE Primary School | Academy | 1.8 miles | 102 | Good 2020 | 86 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares The Arches Community Primary School 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.
Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher
Of those 49 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than The Arches Community Primary School, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castle View Primary School | Council | 12.5 miles | 176 | Good 2022 | 88 | Compare |
| Our Lady Mother of the Saviour Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 12.6 miles | 178 | Report card 2026 | 77 | Compare |
| Woodchurch Road Academy | Academy | 12.9 miles | 171 | Report card 2025 | 54 | Compare |
| Windmill Hill Primary School | Council | 13.9 miles | 148 | Good 2024 | 58 | Compare |
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 44 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 44% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 23 to 69. 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 at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 25% | in line | -0.09 | 2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 31 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 20% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old) | in line | +0.01 | Ofsted grade, 3.2 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | in line | -0.03 | DfE progress measure; 31 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | in line | +0.02 | results and attendance rising year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | below | -0.10 | 2024/25; 167 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | well above | +0.11 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 31 pupils |
| What parents say | 0% | 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 The Arches Community Primary School a good school?
It is about average. The Arches Community Primary School scores 44 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 80% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 23 to 69, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.
What is The Arches Community Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated The Arches Community Primary School good at its last full inspection on 18 July 2023.
How good are The Arches Community Primary School's SATs results?
In summer 2025, 65% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 6% went further and reached the higher level.
How many pupils does The Arches Community Primary School have?
180 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 210 places, so it is 86% full.
Is The Arches Community Primary School oversubscribed?
Probably not. 130 places were empty in 2024/25 (41% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.
What is attendance like at The Arches Community Primary School?
Pupils were in school 93.4% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 20% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at The Arches Community Primary School?
The average class had 24.4 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.
Does The Arches Community Primary School have a breakfast club?
Yes. It is on the government's free breakfast club programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Saughall Road, Blacon, Chester, CH1 5EZ
- Telephone
- 01244 667660
- Website
- www.thearches.cheshire.sch.uk
- Headteacher
- Mrs Michelle Ashfield
- Free breakfast club
- Yes: on the government's programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school (listed since September 2026).
- Type of school
- Council school (Community school, local authority maintained schools)
- Phase
- Primary school, ages 4-11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Local authority
- Cheshire West and Chester
- Ward
- Blacon
- Constituency
- Chester North and Neston
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 September 2005 (result of amalgamation)
- URN
- 134897 · LAESTAB 8963804 · UKPRN 10072371
- Formerly
- Blacon Infant School, Blacon Hall Junior 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, consistent financial reporting 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.
- Breakfast club: DfE list of schools on the free breakfast club programme.
- 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.