Widnes Academy
Cholmondeley Street, Widnes, WA8 0EL
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- WADE DEACON TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Laura Kirchin
- Religious ethos
- None
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Wade Deacon Trust
- Constituency
- Widnes and Halewood
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 127
- URN
- 141538
- Local authority
- Halton
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01514242799
About this school
Widnes Academy is a primary academy in Widnes. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 127 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Widnes Academy, 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 22 March 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 | 16 | 23 | 23 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 56% | 57% | 43% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 9% |
| Expected standard in reading | 69% | 61% | 65% |
| Expected standard in maths | 75% | 74% | 61% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 81% | 48% | 52% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 103.0 | 102.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 101.0 | 101.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.60 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.20 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.30 | - | - |
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 Widnes Academy 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 | 56% | 55.4% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 57% | 56.9% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 43% | 59.4% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 150 |
| 2023/24 | 146 |
| 2024/25 | 134 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Widnes Academy compares
Widnes Academy ranked 41st of 48 primary schools in Halton for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 14% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 29% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 43% | 6.7% | 42.6% | 127 | — |
| Runcorn All Saints CofE Primary School | 50% | 4.4% | 63.5% | 99 | 0.4 miles |
| St Edward's Catholic Primary School | 42% | 5.6% | 24.4% | 106 | 0.7 miles |
| Victoria Road Primary School | 62% | 4.8% | 35.5% | 183 | 0.8 miles |
| Westfield Primary School | 43% | 5.5% | 43.1% | 107 | 1.0 miles |
| St Gerard's Catholic Primary and Nursery School | 77% | 5.4% | 50.5% | 236 | 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)
- 42.62%
- English as an additional language
- 20.9%
- Overall absence
- 6.66%
- Persistent absence
- 21.67%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Runcorn All Saints CofE Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Runcorn
-
St Edward's Catholic Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Runcorn
-
Victoria Road Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Runcorn
-
Westfield Primary School1.0 miles
Primary · Runcorn
-
St Gerard's Catholic Primary and Nursery School1.0 miles
Primary · Widnes
Other schools in Widnes
Widnes Academy ranks 18th 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
- Farnworth Church of England Controlled 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
Common questions
- What ages does Widnes Academy teach?
- Widnes Academy teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Widnes.
- Who is the headteacher of Widnes Academy?
- The headteacher of Widnes Academy is Mrs Laura Kirchin, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Widnes Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Widnes Academy, 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 Widnes Academy?
- Widnes Academy has 127 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Widnes Academy full?
- Widnes Academy has capacity for 210 pupils and 127 on roll (60%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Widnes Academy a faith school?
- No. Widnes Academy has no designated religious character.
- Does Widnes Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Widnes Academy as having nursery classes.
- Is Widnes Academy part of an academy trust?
- Widnes Academy is part of WADE DEACON TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Widnes Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 56% in 2022/23 and 43% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Widnes Academy compare with other schools in Halton?
- Widnes Academy ranked 41st of 48 primary schools in Halton for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 14% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 29% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Widnes Academy's absence rate?
- Widnes Academy's overall absence rate is 6.7% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Widnes Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Widnes Academy'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 1 July 2026.