The FMS Inspection Score is FindMySchool's proprietary analysis based on official Ofsted and ISI inspection reports. It converts ratings into a standardised 1–10 scale for fair comparison across all schools in England.
Disclaimer: The FMS Inspection Score is an independent analysis by FindMySchool. It is not endorsed by or affiliated with Ofsted or ISI. Always refer to the official Ofsted or ISI report for the full picture of a school’s inspection outcome.
This is a state primary academy serving Weston Point in Runcorn, with pupils from age 4 to 11. The school is part of Wade Deacon Trust and is led by Mrs Helen Thompson (named as Principal on trust and school materials).
The public headline inspection context parents will see is shaped by the predecessor school’s most recent graded inspection, which judged it Inadequate, with safeguarding noted as not effective at that point. A later monitoring letter described progress in curriculum planning, phonics implementation, and attendance work, and stated that safeguarding was effective at the time of that visit (July 2023).
For families, the practical headline is that Reception entry is competitive in the available admissions results, with more applications than offers, and the school’s admissions arrangements set out a clear, distance based approach when oversubscribed.
The school positions itself as a place where children feel they belong, and where a mainstream setting sits alongside a Resource Base. That matters, because it signals a deliberate attempt to design routines and support that work for a wider range of pupils than a typical one-form primary.
The values framework is explicit and unusually detailed for a small primary. The core values published are Community and Collaboration, Respect, Perseverance, Kindness, Inclusiveness, and Aspiration, with a stated focus on exploring one value each half term. This gives families a concrete sense of what the school wants to reward and normalise, rather than leaving behaviour culture to interpretation.
There is also evidence of deliberate citizenship education. School news content shows pupils voting on house team names and using that process to discuss democracy, which links directly to the school’s wider British Values messaging.
For this review, there are no verified school specific Key Stage 2 outcome figures available. In practice, this means parents should treat the school’s inspection narrative and published curriculum approach as the most reliable indicators of current academic direction, and then validate progress through visits, work samples, and the school’s own assessment reporting.
What is clear from the most recent graded inspection and subsequent monitoring letter is the diagnosis of what needed to change, and what leaders were prioritising: a coherent curriculum beyond reading and maths, stronger subject leadership, and more consistent teaching that builds knowledge over time.
If you are comparing local schools, FindMySchool’s local hub and comparison tools can still help you sanity check the wider area context, but for this school specifically, you will want to anchor decisions to the most recent formal reports and the school’s current delivery.
Reading is positioned as central, and the school describes a consistent approach built around Read Write Inc for early reading. That aligns with the improvement priority described in formal monitoring, which noted staff implementing the chosen phonics programme with increasing success, while also flagging the importance of well matched reading books and sufficient extra practice for pupils who struggle.
In class pages and curriculum statements, the message is practical rather than philosophical: children take home fully decodable books once they can orally blend, and phonics is treated as a daily, structured entitlement rather than an add-on. For parents, the implication is that early reading should feel organised and routine-led, with clear expectations about practice and progression.
Beyond English, the graded inspection identified significant gaps in subject curriculum design at the time, particularly where activities did not connect well to prior learning. The monitoring letter later described leaders using published schemes as a basis for building a more coherent curriculum and beginning to define the knowledge pupils should learn and when, including attention to vocabulary and concept development. The practical question for families now is simple: how consistently is this working across year groups, and how is it being quality assured in mixed age classes if they exist in a given year.
Quality of Education
Inadequate
Behaviour & Attitudes
Requires Improvement
Personal Development
Requires Improvement
Leadership & Management
Inadequate
FMS Inspection Score calculated by FindMySchool based on official inspection data.
As a primary academy, pupils typically transfer to a range of secondary schools across Halton, depending on home address and parental preference. The most reliable way to plan is to read the Local Authority’s current admissions booklet for secondary transfer patterns and criteria, then confirm how the school supports transition during Year 6.
For pupils who need continuity of support, ask specifically how transition plans are built for children supported by the Resource Base or with additional needs, including how information is shared with receiving schools and what summer term transition looks like.
Admissions for Reception operate via the Local Authority coordinated process, and the school’s determined arrangements for 2026 to 2027 state a planned admission number of 20.
The published admissions timetable is clear about the rhythm families should expect. The school notes information is typically published in September, the common application form deadline is 15 January, and offers are issued on 16 April (or the next working day if that falls on a weekend or bank holiday).
If the school is oversubscribed, the arrangements describe priority after children with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the school, then looked after and previously looked after children, then allocation by straight line distance using an Ordnance Survey address point method. The policy also sets out tie break handling, including sibling connections and, if needed, allocation by drawing lots among exact distance matches.
In the most recent admissions figures there were 16 applications for 12 offers for the primary entry route, indicating competition for places. (No furthest distance at which a place was offered figure is available for this school.)
Applications
16
Total received
Places Offered
12
Subscription Rate
1.3x
Apps per place
Safeguarding information on the school site names Mrs H Thompson as Designated Safeguarding Lead and notes participation in Operation Encompass, the national scheme linking schools and police notifications around domestic abuse incidents so that schools can support children appropriately.
The historical inspection record is important context. The graded inspection described safeguarding arrangements as not effective at that time, with weaknesses in staff awareness and record keeping highlighted, and attendance oversight flagged as a risk factor for vulnerable pupils. The later monitoring letter described tightened procedures, more regular training, and a stronger safeguarding culture, alongside explicit mention of work to safeguard pupils who are absent.
For families, the practical implication is that you should ask direct questions during a visit about attendance follow-up, early help pathways, and how safeguarding training is maintained across all staff, including new starters and temporary staff.
The school’s extracurricular offer is unusually specific in its own communications. Newsletters list clubs including Fencing, Coding, Boccia, Chess, Choir, Football, and Archery, and mention participation in competitions such as Boccia, Kurling, and Netball. These are helpful signals because they show a blend of mainstream sports, inclusive sports, and non-sport options.
Music also appears to be taken seriously. A school news item describes Key Stage 2 pupils working with specialist music teachers connected to a Liverpool Philharmonic scheme of work, culminating in a performance experience. For a primary, that sort of structured external partnership can be a strong indicator that curriculum enrichment is being made more systematic, not left to ad hoc events.
There is also evidence of reward linked choice sessions, with a newsletter describing Friday afternoon activity options such as Film Club, Football, Arts and Craft, and Cooking linked to the DOJO reward scheme. The implication for pupils is that positive behaviour and attendance can translate into meaningful choices, which can be motivating in a school rebuilding consistency.
The school publishes a detailed daily timetable. Doors open and morning registration runs 8:35am to 9:00am, with infant home time at 3:15pm and junior home time at 3:20pm.
Wraparound care, such as breakfast club and after-school care, is not clearly set out on the pages reviewed for this report. Families who need childcare outside the core day should ask the school directly what is currently available and how places are allocated.
Travel and parking arrangements are not explained in detail on the school website pages reviewed. If you drive, ask during a visit how drop-off is managed and whether there are any recommended routes or expectations for keeping local streets clear.
Inspection legacy and improvement pace. The most recent graded inspection for the predecessor school judged it Inadequate and identified serious weaknesses. Improvement work is described in later monitoring documentation, but parents should validate what has changed through visits and conversations, especially around curriculum consistency and leadership capacity.
Curriculum consistency beyond reading and maths. Early reading is clearly prioritised and well described, but the historic challenge was wider curriculum coherence. Ask how subjects are sequenced now and how staff are supported to teach it consistently.
Admissions competitiveness. The school is oversubscribed in the provided admissions results for primary entry. If you are applying, use the Local Authority process early and keep an eye on timing, especially the 15 January deadline.
Support for additional needs. The school describes a Resource Base and published SEND documentation indicates a structured approach to interventions. Families of children needing high consistency should ask what support looks like day to day and how it is monitored.
Weston Point Primary Academy is best understood as a school in an improvement phase, with clear current leadership, a stated values framework, and evidence of structured work on phonics, safeguarding systems, and wider curriculum rebuilding. It may suit families who want a local primary with a strong emphasis on belonging and inclusion, and who are willing to do careful due diligence through visits and detailed questions. The limiting factor is likely to be confidence in pace and consistency of improvement, rather than the breadth of ambition.
The most recent graded Ofsted inspection for the predecessor school (November 2022) judged it Inadequate, and set out significant weaknesses in safeguarding and curriculum planning at that time. A later monitoring letter (published September 2023) described progress and stated safeguarding was effective during that visit. Parents should visit, ask how changes have been embedded, and look for consistent routines, clear curriculum sequencing, and strong attendance follow-up.
Reception places are allocated through Halton’s coordinated admissions process. If the school is oversubscribed, the school’s determined arrangements describe allocation by straight line distance (after the highest priority categories). The policy sets out how distance is measured and how tie breaks are handled.
You apply via your home Local Authority common application form. The determined admissions timetable states the application deadline is 15 January, with offers issued on 16 April (or the next working day if needed).
School communications list clubs such as Fencing, Coding, Boccia, Chess, Choir, Football, and Archery, and mention competitions including Boccia, Kurling, and Netball. A school news item also describes Key Stage 2 pupils taking part in a Liverpool Philharmonic linked music programme.
The school describes itself as a mainstream primary with a Resource Base, and it publishes SEND information and policies outlining approaches to identification, interventions, and support. Families should ask what support looks like day to day for their child’s needs and how progress is reviewed with parents.
Get in touch with the school directly
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Information on this page is compiled, analysed, and processed from publicly available sources including the Department for Education (DfE), Ofsted, the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI), the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, and official school websites.
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