Darnhall Primary School, Winsford
Darnhall Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Winsford. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in October 2023. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 6th-highest of the 10 schools in Winsford with published results, and 12,528th of 14,452 across England. It was full in 2025, at 111% of capacity.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2023)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Cheshire West and Chester (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Darnhall Primary School in detail
Darnhall Primary School in its own words
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care.
Coming up: an open day on Tuesday 10 November 2026 at 4.30pm. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Cheshire West and Chester
Wraparound care (school website)Open days on the school's site (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 59% of Year 6 pupils at Darnhall Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 65% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 78% and 74% in Cheshire West and Chester and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 75% in reading and 75% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Darnhall Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 45 families put Darnhall Primary School as their first choice and 99 named it as one of their preferences, for 49 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Darnhall Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Darnhall Primary School are Over Hall Community School (0.5 miles, Good, 67% reading, 57% maths); St. Chad's Church of England Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 74% reading, 78% maths); St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy (0.8 miles, 59% reading, 57% maths); and Over St John's CofE Primary School (0.9 miles, Good, 76% reading, 76% maths).
Darnhall Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
Over Hall Community SchoolSt. Chad's Church of England Primary SchoolSt Joseph's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary AcademyOver St John's CofE Primary School
Who goes there
35.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 56 pupils (12.7%) received SEN support and 34 (7.7%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Darnhall Primary School has a resourced provision for social, emotional and mental health needs: 12 places, 12 pupils on roll.
Staffing
Darnhall Primary School had 25 teachers in 2026, one for every 16 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Winsford Rail Station, about 1.7 miles away in a straight line.
19 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Austin Close (cnr), 140 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 159 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and public order offences. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Cheshire West and Chester (71), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Darnhall Primary School issued 36 suspensions, 8.1 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its October 2023 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management.
Areas Ofsted flagged
Early years (Requires Improvement).
At a Glance
35.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: SEMH
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 75% to 59% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 75% to 65% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 63% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
25.8
Avg class size
23.3
Infant (KS1)
28.3
KS2
13
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Darnhall Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Darnhall Primary School.
- S4YC Out of School Club @ St Chads990m away · Ofsted: Good
Term dates
Darnhall Primary School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Cheshire West and Chester. Training (INSET) days, when pupils are not in school, vary by school: check the school's own calendar.
2026 to 2027
- Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026)
- Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027)
- Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027)
2027 to 2028
- Autumn term: Wednesday 1 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027)
- Spring term: Tuesday 4 January to Friday 31 March 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028)
- Summer term: Tuesday 18 April to Friday 21 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028)
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Darnhall Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Darnhall Primary School is in Cheshire West and Chester; for families living there:
Apply to Cheshire West and Chester for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 11
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 8 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 1 on a bicycle.
1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Cheshire West and Chester is 7 (the median across 184 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Darnhall Primary School
Will you get a place at Darnhall Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Darnhall Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Darnhall Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Darnhall Primary School.
- Cheshire West and Chester publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Darnhall Primary School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Darnhall Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Cheshire West and Chester got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
111%
Over capacity
388 pupils
350 places
38 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Winsford
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Winsford
Across Cheshire West and Chester council
Places available
4,260
Applications
3,274
Got 1st preference
92.3%
Got preferred school
98.5%
All primary applications across Cheshire West and Chester council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(9)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
56
SEN Support
34
EHC Plans
20.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Darnhall Primary School has a resourced provision for social, emotional and mental health needs: 12 places, 12 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
440
Total Pupils
224
Boys
216
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
25
Teachers
17.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£46,639
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,082
Per pupil
£2750k
Total funding
£258k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.3%
Overall absence
18.8%
Persistent absence
352
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Darnhall Primary School
Questions parents ask about Darnhall Primary School
What are SATs results like at Darnhall Primary School?
Of the pupils at Darnhall Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 59% reached the expected standard in reading and 65% did so in maths.
What is Darnhall Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Darnhall Primary School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in October 2023.
What is the catchment area for Darnhall Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Darnhall Primary School is oversubscribed, Cheshire West and Chester allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Darnhall Primary School?
Darnhall Primary School was full in 2025, at 111% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Darnhall Primary School?
Classes at Darnhall Primary School average 25.8 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Darnhall Primary School?
Darnhall Primary School has around 440 pupils on roll. 36% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Darnhall Primary School have specialist SEN provision?
Darnhall Primary School has a resourced provision for social, emotional and mental health needs: 12 places, 12 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Darnhall Primary School?
6.3% of sessions were missed at Darnhall Primary School in 2024/25. 18.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Darnhall Primary School?
Apply through Cheshire West and Chester's coordinated admissions process, naming Darnhall Primary School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does Darnhall Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Darnhall Primary School: S4YC Out of School Club @ St Chads (990m away, rated Good by Ofsted). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
What are Darnhall Primary School's term dates?
Darnhall Primary School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Cheshire West and Chester. In 2026 to 2027: Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026); Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027); Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027). In 2027 to 2028: Autumn term: Wednesday 1 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027); Spring term: Tuesday 4 January to Friday 31 March 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028); Summer term: Tuesday 18 April to Friday 21 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028).
How many road collisions happen near Darnhall Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 8 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 1 on a bicycle. 1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Cheshire West and Chester is 7 (the median across 184 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Darnhall Primary School?
Darnhall Primary School is at Sandyhill Road, Darnhall, Winsford, Cheshire, CW7 1JL.
Sources: Cheshire West and Chester term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)