Farnworth Church of England Controlled Primary School
Pit Lane, Widnes, WA8 9HS
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Stephanie Kidd
- Diocese
- Diocese of Liverpool
- Constituency
- Widnes and Halewood
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 420
- Pupils on roll
- 414
- URN
- 111394
- Local authority
- Halton
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01514243042
About this school
Farnworth Church of England Controlled Primary School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Widnes. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 414 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Farnworth Church of England Controlled 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. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 61 | 60 | 61 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 72% | 78% | 67% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 2% | 13% | 13% |
| Expected standard in reading | 77% | 87% | 77% |
| Expected standard in maths | 84% | 90% | 77% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 82% | 73% | 72% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 107.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 106.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.80 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.70 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.00 | - | - |
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 Farnworth Church of England Controlled 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 | Halton average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 72% | 55.4% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 78% | 56.9% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 67% | 59.4% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 3.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 419 |
| 2023/24 | 415 |
| 2024/25 | 415 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Farnworth Church of England Controlled Primary School compares
Farnworth Church of England Controlled Primary School ranked 19th of 48 primary schools in Halton for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 57% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 95% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 67% | 3.3% | 7.7% | 414 | — |
| Lunts Heath Primary School | 84% | 4.9% | 9.6% | 419 | 0.2 miles |
| Fairfield Primary School | 68% | 4.4% | 34.3% | 582 | 0.7 miles |
| Moorfield Primary School | 94% | 3.5% | 15.3% | 232 | 0.9 miles |
| St Bede's Catholic Junior School | 62% | 4.4% | 30.9% | 306 | 0.9 miles |
| St Bede's Catholic Infant School | — | 4.2% | 22.1% | 223 | 1.0 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.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 7.71%
- English as an additional language
- 0.7%
- Overall absence
- 3.3%
- Persistent absence
- 4.18%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Lunts Heath Primary School0.2 miles
Primary · Widnes
-
Fairfield Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Widnes
-
Moorfield Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · Widnes
-
St Bede's Catholic Junior School0.9 miles
Primary · Widnes
-
St Bede's Catholic Infant School1.0 miles
Primary · Widnes
Other schools in Widnes
Farnworth Church of England Controlled Primary School ranks 8th of the 19 ranked primary schools in Widnes.
- All Saints Upton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Primary
- Cronton Church of England Primary Academy Primary
- Ditton Primary School Primary
- Fairfield Primary School Primary
- Halebank CofE Primary School Primary
- Holy Family Catholic Primary School & Nursery Primary
- Kingsway Primary Academy School Primary
- Lunts Heath Primary School Primary
- Moorfield Primary School Primary
- Oakfield Community Primary School Primary
- Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Catholic Primary School Primary
- St Basil's Catholic Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Farnworth Church of England Controlled Primary School teach?
- Farnworth Church of England Controlled Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Widnes.
- Who is the headteacher of Farnworth Church of England Controlled Primary School?
- The headteacher of Farnworth Church of England Controlled Primary School is Mrs Stephanie Kidd, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Farnworth Church of England Controlled Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Farnworth Church of England Controlled 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 Farnworth Church of England Controlled Primary School?
- Farnworth Church of England Controlled Primary School has 414 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Farnworth Church of England Controlled Primary School full?
- Farnworth Church of England Controlled Primary School has capacity for 420 pupils and 414 on roll (99%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Farnworth Church of England Controlled Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Farnworth Church of England Controlled Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Liverpool.
- Does Farnworth Church of England Controlled Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Farnworth Church of England Controlled Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have Farnworth Church of England Controlled Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 72% in 2022/23 and 67% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Farnworth Church of England Controlled Primary School compare with other schools in Halton?
- Farnworth Church of England Controlled Primary School ranked 19th of 48 primary schools in Halton for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 57% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 95% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Farnworth Church of England Controlled Primary School's absence rate?
- Farnworth Church of England Controlled Primary School's overall absence rate is 3.3% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Farnworth Church of England Controlled Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Farnworth Church of England Controlled 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 29 June 2026.