Dodleston CofE Primary School, Chester
Dodleston CofE Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Chester, part of Chester Diocesan Academies Trust. It has a Church of England religious character. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 23rd-highest of the 34 schools in Chester with published results, and 8,234th of 14,452 across England. It was 89% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Cheshire West and Chester (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Dodleston CofE Primary School in detail
Dodleston CofE Primary School in its own words
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, netball, rugby, tennis, basketball, drama, choir, STEM, cooking and gardening.
The school runs after-school care until 6:00pm.
Coming up: an open day on Tuesday 3 November 2026 at 9.30am and an open day on Tuesday 1 December 2026 at 9.30am. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Cheshire West and Chester
Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)Open days on the school's site (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 80% of Year 6 pupils at Dodleston CofE Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 70% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 78% and 74% in Cheshire West and Chester and 77% and 75% across England.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Dodleston CofE Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 8 families put Dodleston CofE Primary School as their first choice and 21 named it as one of their preferences, for 9 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 Dodleston CofE Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Dodleston CofE Primary School are Ysgol Derwen (1.8 miles), Broughton Primary School (2 miles), Kings Moat Community Primary School (2.3 miles) and St Peter's CIW Voluntary Controlled Primary School (2.4 miles).
Ysgol DerwenBroughton Primary SchoolKings Moat Community Primary SchoolSt Peter's CIW Voluntary Controlled Primary School
The trust
Dodleston CofE Primary School is one of 32 schools run by Chester Diocesan Academies Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 49% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
12.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 3.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (83%) and Mixed (6%).
In 2026, 15 pupils (23.1%) received SEN support and 1 (1.5%) 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 a specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia.
Staffing
Dodleston CofE Primary School had 5 teachers in 2026, one for every 14 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Dodleston CofE Primary School.
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Primary School (outside), 40 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
Dodleston CofE Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Dodleston CofE Primary School has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in April 2024. Before that, as Dodleston CofE Primary School (URN 111272), it was rated Good in November 2014.
At a Glance
12.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
2024/25 academic year
Class Sizes
16.3
Avg class size
11.5
Infant (KS1)
21.0
KS2
4
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Dodleston CofE Primary School
Term dates
Dodleston CofE Primary School is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Cheshire West and Chester's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Dodleston CofE Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Dodleston CofE 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
- 2
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 2 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 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 Dodleston CofE Primary School
Will you get a place at Dodleston CofE Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Dodleston CofE Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Dodleston CofE Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Dodleston CofE Primary School.
- Cheshire West and Chester publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Dodleston CofE Primary School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Dodleston CofE Primary School for 2025 and 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
89%
Available places
72 pupils
81 places
9 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Chester
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Chester
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
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
15
SEN Support
1
EHC Plans
24.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
65
Total Pupils
32
Boys
33
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
5
Teachers
13.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,702
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,278
Per pupil
£579k
Total funding
£12k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
9.0%
Overall absence
21.7%
Persistent absence
69
Enrolments
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Dodleston CofE Primary School
What are SATs results like at Dodleston CofE Primary School?
Of the pupils at Dodleston CofE Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 80% reached the expected standard in reading and 70% did so in maths.
What is Dodleston CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Dodleston CofE Primary School has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in April 2024. Before that, as Dodleston CofE Primary School (URN 111272), it was rated Good in November 2014.
What is the catchment area for Dodleston CofE Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Dodleston CofE 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 Dodleston CofE Primary School?
Dodleston CofE Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 89% of its 81 places.
How big are the classes at Dodleston CofE Primary School?
Classes at Dodleston CofE Primary School average 16.3 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Dodleston CofE Primary School?
Dodleston CofE Primary School has around 65 pupils on roll. 12% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Dodleston CofE Primary School?
9% of sessions were missed at Dodleston CofE Primary School in 2024/25. 21.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Dodleston CofE Primary School?
Apply through Cheshire West and Chester's coordinated admissions process, naming Dodleston CofE 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.
How many road collisions happen near Dodleston CofE Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 2 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 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 Dodleston CofE Primary School?
Dodleston CofE Primary School is at Church Road, Dodleston, Chester, Cheshire, CH4 9NG.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)