Barrow CofE Primary School
Barrow, School Lane, Chester, CH3 7HW
This school is open but due to close.
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mr Paul Hudson
- Diocese
- Diocese of Chester
- Constituency
- Runcorn and Helsby
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 98
- Pupils on roll
- 48
- URN
- 111270
- Local authority
- Cheshire West and Chester
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01244445154
About this school
Barrow CofE Primary School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Chester. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 48 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Barrow CofE Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted no longer gives schools a single overall grade. Each area of the school's work is graded on a five-point scale, and safeguarding is judged separately.
- Inclusion
- Expected standard
- Curriculum and teaching
- Expected standard
- Achievement
- Expected standard
- Attendance and behaviour
- Expected standard
- Personal development and wellbeing
- Strong standard
- Leadership and governance
- Urgent improvement
- Early years
- Expected standard
- Safeguarding
- Not met
Ofsted placed the school in a category of concern: special measures.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 6 | 4 | 6 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 67% | - | 33% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | - | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 67% | - | 50% |
| Expected standard in maths | 67% | - | 33% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 67% | - | 50% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | - | 102.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 102.0 | - | 98.0 |
| Reading progress | -3.70 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -5.90 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.10 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Barrow CofE Primary School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Cheshire West and Chester average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 67% | 57.1% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | — | 57.9% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 33% | 59.1% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 48 |
| 2023/24 | 54 |
| 2024/25 | 51 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Barrow CofE Primary School compares
Barrow CofE Primary School ranked 112th of 116 primary schools in Cheshire West and Chester for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 8% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 54% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 33% | 5.3% | 21.6% | 48 | — |
| Guilden Sutton CofE Primary School | 84% | 3.6% | 2.4% | 207 | 1.5 miles |
| Mickle Trafford Village School | 72% | 4.6% | 10.4% | 169 | 1.8 miles |
| Tarvin Primary School | 82% | 4.6% | 5% | 230 | 1.8 miles |
| Ashton Hayes Primary School | 44% | 3.7% | 3.9% | 134 | 2.4 miles |
| Oldfield Primary School | — | 3% | 5.4% | 207 | 2.6 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
Inspection history
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 21.57%
- English as an additional language
- 2%
- Overall absence
- 5.28%
- Persistent absence
- 11.54%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Guilden Sutton CofE Primary School1.5 miles
Primary · Chester
-
Mickle Trafford Village School1.8 miles
Primary · Chester
-
Tarvin Primary School1.8 miles
Primary · Chester
-
Ashton Hayes Primary School2.4 miles
Primary · Chester
-
Oldfield Primary School2.6 miles
Primary · Chester
Other schools in Chester
Barrow CofE Primary School ranks 32nd of the 34 ranked primary schools in Chester.
- Acresfield Academy Primary
- Ashton Hayes Primary School Primary
- Barrow CofE Primary School Primary
- Belgrave Primary School Primary
- Boughton Heath Academy Primary
- Capenhurst CofE Primary School Primary
- Cherry Grove Primary School Primary
- Chester Blue Coat Church of England Primary School Primary
- Christleton Primary School Primary
- Clutton Church of England Primary School Primary
- Dee Point Primary School Primary
- Dodleston CofE Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Barrow CofE Primary School teach?
- Barrow CofE Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Chester.
- Who is the headteacher of Barrow CofE Primary School?
- The headteacher of Barrow CofE Primary School is Mr Paul Hudson, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Barrow CofE Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Barrow CofE Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Barrow CofE Primary School?
- Barrow CofE Primary School has 48 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Barrow CofE Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Barrow CofE Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Chester.
- Does Barrow CofE Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Barrow CofE Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have Barrow CofE Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 67% in 2022/23 and 33% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Barrow CofE Primary School compare with other schools in Cheshire West and Chester?
- Barrow CofE Primary School ranked 112th of 116 primary schools in Cheshire West and Chester for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 8% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 54% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Barrow CofE Primary School's absence rate?
- Barrow CofE Primary School's overall absence rate is 5.3% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Barrow CofE Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Barrow CofE Primary School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 8 July 2026.