St John's Church of England Primary School

St John's Church of England Primary School is a small, close-knit school where pupils feel safe, valued and included. Safeguarding standards are met, and inspectors found a positive culture around safeguarding. Attendance is broadly in line with national averages, persistent absence is lower than national levels, and pupils behave well in calm, purposeful classrooms. Inclusion is a clear strength: leaders identify needs quickly, support disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND effectively, and provide strong pastoral care for pupils known to social care and young carers. Personal development and wellbeing are also prioritised, with a broad programme, wide extracurricular opportunities and good take-up among disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open and positive culture in which concerns are identified and managed.
• Attendance is broadly in line with the national average and persistent absence is lower than national levels.
• Leaders identify pupils at risk of low attendance early and provide effective support, including breakfast club and a flexible uniform approach.
• Pupils behave well, show positive attitudes to learning and benefit from clear, consistent routines.
• Bullying is rare and is dealt with quickly and effectively when it occurs.
• Inclusion is placed at the centre of the school's work, with needs identified without delay.
• Disadvantaged pupils are well supported through additional teaching, pastoral care and wider opportunities.
• Pupils with SEND make steady progress from their starting points and are fully included in school life.
• Pupils known to social care and other groups, including young carers, receive tailored and nurturing support.
• Personal development and wellbeing are clear priorities, with a broad programme covering health, relationships, beliefs and cultures.
• Clubs are very well attended, and disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND take part fully in the wider life of the school.
• Disadvantaged pupils attain well compared with peers nationally, particularly in reading, writing and mathematics combined.
• Mathematics attainment is close to the national average, including in the multiplication tables check.
• Curriculum design is successful in science and the wider curriculum, where pupils build on prior learning and remember more.
• Leaders understand the school's context and know pupils and families well, and staff feel valued.
• Parents and carers value the school and speak positively about its work.
• Children in the early years are happy, settle quickly into routines and have positive relationships with staff.

Areas for Improvement

• Achievement is uneven across year groups in reading, writing, phonics and mathematics.
• Too many pupils do not secure early reading knowledge and skills, which limits later fluency and comprehension.
• Writing is inconsistent, with weaknesses in spelling and grammar.
• Staff checks on pupils' learning do not consistently address errors or help pupils catch up.
• Some pupils are not as prepared for their next steps as they should be.
• The teaching of reading, writing and mathematics is not as effective as it should be, including the phonics programme.
• Training and professional development have had variable impact on teaching quality.
• Errors made by pupils are sometimes not picked up or are not followed by adequate support, especially in reading and writing for pupils at earlier stages and some with SEND.
• Early years teaching and learning are inconsistent, and provision does not yet help all children secure key knowledge in phonics, writing and mathematics.
• Early years staff do not always build on what children already know or adapt activities sufficiently for pupils with SEND, slowing progress.
• Some children, including some with SEND, are not sufficiently ready for Year 1.
• Leaders' improvement priorities sometimes lack precision and urgency and do not focus on all key aspects of the school's work.
• Leaders do not give enough attention to the quality of curriculum and teaching and pupils' achievement.
• Governors do not have a clear enough view of curriculum, teaching and achievement, and do not hold leaders to account well enough.
• Leaders should ensure staff have the training needed to deliver the curriculum consistently well, including in the early years.
• Leaders should ensure staff consistently identify pupils' errors and misconceptions and support pupils to address them.
• Leaders should ensure pupils achieve consistently well in reading, writing and mathematics, including in the early years, so they are better prepared for next stages.
• Leaders, including governors, should strengthen oversight and challenge so improvement actions are precise and timely.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at St John's Church of England Primary School attended 95.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 12.1% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.6% of pupils at St John's Church of England Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 St John's Church of England Primary School had 16.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 11.6% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 19.0% of pupils at St John's Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.7% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 St John's Church of England Primary School received £8,723 and spent £9,073 for each of its 158 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £82,000 (-£519 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

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What is St John's Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St John's Church of England Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was St John's Church of England Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

St John's Church of England Primary School was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does St John's Church of England Primary School have?

St John's Church of England Primary School has 158 pupils on roll.

What age range does St John's Church of England Primary School cover?

St John's Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are St John's Church of England Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 62% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St John's Church of England Primary School?

St John's Church of England Primary School is at Rufford Road, Crossens, Southport, Merseyside, PR9 8JH.