St Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School, Northwich

Ofsted's report card from its 29 September 2026 inspection grades St Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School on 7 areas: 7 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Achievement - Expected standard. "Pupils achieve well across the curriculum and develop secure knowledge and skills over time."

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Leaders prioritise attendance effectively and work closely with families to ensure that pupils come to school regularly and are ready to learn."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "Leaders have taken thoughtful steps to strengthen the quality of education since the previous inspection."

Early years - Expected standard. "Leaders have created a curriculum that gives children a secure start to their education."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Leaders are committed to supporting pupils who face barriers to learning or wellbeing."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders, and governors, provide stable leadership and have a secure understanding of the school's strengths and priorities."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Leaders ensure that pupils' personal development plays an important part in school life."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should further strengthen their work to identify and address barriers to attendance so that pupils who are most absent, particularly disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, continue to improve how often they are in school"; "Leaders should enhance their oversight of the school's work around pupils' achievement and attendance, to enable governors to hold leaders more effectively to account for the impact of leaders' actions"; "Leaders should ensure that staff receive effective training to embed the writing curriculum consistently well, so that teachers can support more pupils to develop the skills needed to achieve greater depth in writing".

In its own words: ""I have come that they may have life and have it to the full" John 10.10"

The school runs after-school care.

In 2025, 83% of Year 6 pupils at St Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 69% 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 80% in reading and 85% in maths in 2024.

With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.

For September 2026 entry, 28 families put St Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School as their first choice and 52 named it as one of their preferences, for 30 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state primary schools to St Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School are Kingsmead Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 83% reading, 74% maths); Hartford Manor Primary School & Nursery (0.3 miles, Good, 88% reading, 82% maths); Charles Darwin Community Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 89% reading, 89% maths); and Winnington Park Community Primary and Nursery School (0.6 miles, Good, 69% reading, 67% maths).

St Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.

10.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 17 pupils (8.9%) received SEN support and 10 (5.2%) 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.

St Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School had 13 teachers in 2026, one for every 15 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.

The nearest railway station is Greenbank Rail Station, about 600 metres away (roughly a 7-minute walk).

18 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Wilfrids RC Primary School (outside), 10 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 109 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.

In 2024/25, St Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School issued 1 suspension, 0.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The secondary schools closest to St Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School are St Nicholas Catholic High School (under 0.1 miles); Hartford Church of England High School (0.4 miles); and The County High School, Leftwich (0.9 miles).