Rudheath Primary Academy and Nursery, Northwich
Rudheath Primary Academy and Nursery is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Northwich, part of Focus Academy Trust (uk) Ltd. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in October 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 17th-highest of the 24 schools in Northwich with published results, and 9,159th of 14,452 across England. It was 83% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2015)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
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
Rudheath Primary Academy and Nursery in detail
Results
In 2025, 75% of Year 6 pupils at Rudheath Primary Academy and Nursery reached the expected standard in reading and 71% 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 were similar in 2024 (80% in reading, 64% in maths).
Getting a place at Rudheath Primary Academy and Nursery
For September 2026 entry, 26 families put Rudheath Primary Academy and Nursery as their first choice and 56 named it as one of their preferences, for 27 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 Rudheath Primary Academy and Nursery
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Rudheath Primary Academy and Nursery are Victoria Road Primary School (1 mile, Good, 77% reading, 82% maths); Leftwich Community Primary School (1.1 miles, Good, 66% reading, 63% maths); Witton Church Walk CofE Aided Nursery and Primary School (1.2 miles, Requires improvement, 55% reading, 45% maths); and Lostock Gralam CofE Primary School (1.5 miles).
Rudheath Primary Academy and Nursery's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 3 schools.
Victoria Road Primary SchoolLeftwich Community Primary SchoolWitton Church Walk CofE Aided Nursery and Primary SchoolLostock Gralam CofE Primary School
The trust
Rudheath Primary Academy and Nursery is one of 15 schools run by Focus Academy Trust (uk) Ltd, an academy trust.
What parents say
66 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Rudheath Primary Academy and Nursery (as of September 2025): 85% would recommend the school, 89% say their child is happy there and 37% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (91%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (37%).
Who goes there
7.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 37 pupils (10%) received SEN support and 17 (4.6%) 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.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Northwich Rail Station, about 1 mile away in a straight line.
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Gadbrook Road, 230 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 43 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, criminal damage and arson and public order offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Cheshire West and Chester (71).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Rudheath Primary Academy and Nursery issued 5 suspensions, 1.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Rudheath Primary Academy and Nursery are The Rudheath Senior Academy (0.4 miles); and The County High School, Leftwich (1.2 miles).
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; 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 · 2 years agoThis judgement is from February 2015, 11 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils enjoy their learning and achieve well at Rudheath Primary Academy and Nursery. This is because the school has high expectations of pupils and gives them the support that they need to be successful. Pupils feel safe and secure as part of the 'school family' because they know that the adults care deeply about their well-being, as well as their academic achievement.
Pupils live out the school values of kindness, respect, responsibility, resilience and enthusiasm. They look out for each other and know who they can turn to with any problems. Pupils behave well most of the time. Pupils who need it receive well-considered support from the school to understand their emotions. Pupils learn to understand the impact of their actions on others. When any instances of bullying are reported, the school takes swift action. Pupils say that any concerns they share with the school are taken seriously.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school has a clear vision for pupils, including those with special needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to reach the best possible outcomes. The curriculum, in all subjects, supports pupils to build new knowledge well. Staff make regular checks on pupils' understanding. They use this information to base further learning on what pupils already know. That said, the curriculum in some subjects has been introduced more recently than others. Where this is the case, teachers do not have the same strength in subject knowledge and skills as they do where the curriculum is further embedded. Consequently, at times, pupils do not learn as well as they could.
The school and the trust make sure that staff receive the professional development that they need. A growing number of subject leaders are subject experts. They share their expertise across the staff team effectively. This enables the curriculum to evolve to meet pupils' needs.
From Ofsted's October 2024 ungraded inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its February 2015 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
24.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
66 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 80% to 75% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 64% to 71% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 65% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
22.4
Avg class size
26.2
Infant (KS1)
23.1
KS2
14
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Rudheath Primary Academy and Nursery
Term dates
Rudheath Primary Academy and Nursery 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 Rudheath Primary Academy and Nursery from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Rudheath Primary Academy and Nursery 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
- 7
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 6 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
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 Rudheath Primary Academy and Nursery
Will you get a place at Rudheath Primary Academy and Nursery? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Rudheath Primary Academy and Nursery's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Rudheath Primary Academy and Nursery:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Rudheath Primary Academy and Nursery.
- Cheshire West and Chester publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Rudheath Primary Academy and Nursery that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Rudheath Primary Academy and Nursery 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
83%
Available places
347 pupils
420 places
73 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Northwich
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Northwich
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(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
37
SEN Support
17
EHC Plans
14.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
371
Total Pupils
184
Boys
187
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
20
Teachers
18.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,153
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,274
Per pupil
£2072k
Total funding
£147k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.9%
Overall absence
10.7%
Persistent absence
309
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
Rudheath Primary Academy and Nursery
Questions parents ask about Rudheath Primary Academy and Nursery
What are SATs results like at Rudheath Primary Academy and Nursery?
Of the pupils at Rudheath Primary Academy and Nursery who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 75% reached the expected standard in reading and 71% did so in maths.
What is Rudheath Primary Academy and Nursery's Ofsted rating?
Rudheath Primary Academy and Nursery's most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in February 2015, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Rudheath Primary Academy and Nursery?
No fixed boundary. When Rudheath Primary Academy and Nursery 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 Rudheath Primary Academy and Nursery?
Rudheath Primary Academy and Nursery was not full in 2025: it ran at 83% of its 420 places.
How big are the classes at Rudheath Primary Academy and Nursery?
Classes at Rudheath Primary Academy and Nursery average 22.4 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Rudheath Primary Academy and Nursery?
Rudheath Primary Academy and Nursery has around 371 pupils on roll. 24% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Rudheath Primary Academy and Nursery?
4.9% of sessions were missed at Rudheath Primary Academy and Nursery in 2024/25. 10.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Rudheath Primary Academy and Nursery?
Apply through Cheshire West and Chester's coordinated admissions process, naming Rudheath Primary Academy and Nursery 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 Rudheath Primary Academy and Nursery?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 6 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 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 Rudheath Primary Academy and Nursery?
Rudheath Primary Academy and Nursery is at Gadbrook Road, Rudheath, Northwich, Cheshire, CW9 7JL.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)