Charles Darwin Community Primary School, Northwich

Primary
Community school
Mixed
Ages 411

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~479m)Possible (~685m)Unlikely (~891m)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Marianne Bennett
Pupils:331 / 342 capacity
LA:Cheshire West and Chester
Phone:0160675194
Address:Darwin Street, Castle, Northwich, CW8 1BN
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 8 months ago

Report card - no overall grade (new Ofsted framework from Sep 2024)

Achievement
Expected Standard
Behaviour
Expected Standard
Personal Development
Strong Standard
Leadership
Expected Standard
Early Years
Expected Standard
Inspected 13 January 2026View full report
URN:111053
UKPRN:10047321
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Mid Cheshire
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

Charles Darwin Community Primary School excels at making every child feel included and valued. Teaching is clear and engaging, with teachers skilfully adapting lessons so all pupils can learn successfully alongside their peers. The school offers a rich range of enrichment activities including music, drama, sports and trips that develop confident, resilient learners well prepared for secondary school.

Key Strengths

  • Excellent inclusion and support for pupils with additional needs, disadvantaged pupils, and those in or previously in care
  • Strong academic achievement, particularly in mathematics, writing, English grammar, punctuation and spelling (significantly above national averages for 3 years)
  • Extensive personal development and wellbeing offer including music, drama, sports, theatre visits and residential experiences
  • Calm, orderly behaviour with reduced incidents of inappropriate conduct over time
  • Well-trained staff with strong subject knowledge and effective teaching

Areas for Improvement

  • Recall of multiplication facts is less secure for some pupils in lower key stage 2 - improvement strategies are in early stages
  • Curriculum design not yet complete in a small minority of subjects
  • Attendance for some pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those eligible for free school meals remains weaker than other groups

Safeguarding

Safeguarding standards are met. Leaders have established an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility, concerns are actively identified and managed, and pupils are made safer and feel safe.

Extracurricular Activities

Musical instruments, theatre and orchestral performances, sports, drama, residential visits, local community visits

Charles Darwin Community Primary School is a welcoming, inclusive primary school where pupils achieve well and enjoy learning. The school has strong outcomes in mathematics, writing and English, with effective support for all learners including disadvantaged pupils and those with additional needs.

At a Glance

24.8%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

What Parents Think

25 responses
Would recommend88%
Child is happy80%
Well taught88%
Good progress80%
Feels safe88%
Well behaved56%
Bullying dealt with16%
Kept informed80%
Handles concerns68%
Wider development84%

Source: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading+13ppMathsWriting-1pp

Reading has improved from 76% to 89%. Maths has remained stable at around 89%. Writing has remained stable at around 82%.

Class Sizes

26.3

Avg class size

26.3

Infant (KS1)

26.3

KS2

11

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Train Stations

Greenbank Rail Station (Main Entrance)
816m · 13 min walk

Bus Stops

Surgery (o/s)
124m · 2 min walk
Lee Drive (nr)
158m · 3 min walk
Blue Barrel (o/s)
171m · 3 min walk
Castle Court (cnr)
197m · 3 min walk
Beeston Street (cnr)
227m · 4 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

97%

Near capacity

331 pupils

342 capacity

11 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Northwich

Low pressure
New homes approved:1,534
Projected new pupils:384

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Northwich

Admissions Demand - Cheshire West and Chester

Low demand0.73x oversubscription

Places available

4,393

Applications

3,189

Got 1st preference

92.5%

Got preferred school

98.7%

Primary admissions across Cheshire West and Chester (2025/26)

Inspection History(11)

13 January 2026Report card
Achievement
Behaviour
Personal Development
Leadership
Early Years
29 June 2021
2 March 2016

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SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

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Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

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Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

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School Funding

Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

5.12315%

Overall absence

12.73885%

Persistent absence

314

Enrolments

Authorised3.9586%
Unauthorised1.16455%
Persistent (10%+)12.73885%
Severe (50%+)0.63694%

Absence trend

3.94856%
18/19
2.7868%
20/21
6.3821%
21/22
5.33238%
22/23
6.31858%
23/24
5.12315%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

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