Chesnut Lodge Special School
Green Lane, Ditton, Widnes, WA8 7HF
- Phase
- Special schools
- School type
- Community special school
- Ages
- 2 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mr John Thompson
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- SEN provision
- PD - Physical Disability, MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty, SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty, PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty
- Constituency
- Widnes and Halewood
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Pupils on roll
- 85
- URN
- 111514
- Local authority
- Halton
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01514240679
About this school
Chesnut Lodge Special School is a community special school in Widnes. It teaches children aged 2 to 16 and has 85 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Chesnut Lodge Special 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 20 April 2023, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 7 | 4 | 4 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | - | - |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | - | - |
| Expected standard in reading | 0% | - | - |
| Expected standard in maths | 0% | - | - |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 0% | - | - |
| Average scaled score in reading | - | - | - |
| Average scaled score in maths | - | - | - |
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 6 | 9 | 6 |
| Attainment 8 score | - | - | - |
| Progress 8 score | - | - | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | - | - | - |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | - | - | - |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | - | - | - |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | - | - | - |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Chesnut Lodge Special 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 | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 17.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 18.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 16.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 89 |
| 2023/24 | 87 |
| 2024/25 | 86 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 65.88%
- English as an additional language
- 3.5%
- Overall absence
- 16.24%
- Persistent absence
- 36.59%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Ashley High School0.1 miles
Special schools · Widnes
-
Poppy Field School1.1 miles
Special schools · Widnes
-
The Raise Academy1.6 miles
Free Schools · Widnes
-
Brookfields School1.8 miles
Academies · Widnes
-
Weston Point College2.4 miles
Special schools · Runcorn
Other schools in Widnes
- Ashley High School Special schools
- Brookfields School Academies
- Poppy Field School Special schools
- The Raise Academy Free Schools
- Aspiring Foundations Federated Nursery Schools - Ditton Nursery School Nursery
- Aspiring Foundations Federated Nursery Schools - Warrington Road Nursery School Nursery
- Birchfield Nursery School Nursery
- 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
- Farnworth Church of England Controlled Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Chesnut Lodge Special School teach?
- Chesnut Lodge Special School teaches children aged 2 to 16. It is a special school in Widnes.
- Who is the headteacher of Chesnut Lodge Special School?
- The headteacher of Chesnut Lodge Special School is Mr John Thompson, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Chesnut Lodge Special School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Chesnut Lodge Special 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 Chesnut Lodge Special School?
- Chesnut Lodge Special School has 85 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 16.
- Is Chesnut Lodge Special School a faith school?
- No. Chesnut Lodge Special School has no designated religious character.
- What SEN provision does Chesnut Lodge Special School have?
- The schools register lists Chesnut Lodge Special School's special educational needs provision as: PD - Physical Disability; MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty; SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty; PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- What is Chesnut Lodge Special School's absence rate?
- Chesnut Lodge Special School's overall absence rate is 16.2% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Chesnut Lodge Special School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Chesnut Lodge Special 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.