Standish Lower Ground St Anne's CofE Primary School

Standish Lower Ground St Anne’s CofE Primary School is performing well overall. Inspectors found pupils are happy, polite and positive about learning, and behaviour is strong. The curriculum has been improved and is broad and balanced, with clear sequencing from the early years. Reading is a particular priority, with high-quality texts and a phonics programme that starts in Reception and is delivered consistently. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are identified quickly and generally supported well, and personal development has been strengthened through leadership roles, visits, visitors, music and clubs. Safeguarding is effective. The main areas for improvement relate to consistency. Some staff do not deliver the curriculum consistently well, and explanations in some lessons are not clear enough for pupils to develop secure understanding. Occasionally, activities are not adapted well enough to meet pupils’ needs, including some pupils with SEND. The school also does not check pupils’ written and spoken communication precisely enough, so some errors in writing and speech go unaddressed over time. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the previous inspection, a new headteacher and chair of governors have been appointed, and governance and leadership are improving. The school is a voluntary aided Church of England primary with 148 pupils on roll.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, polite and positive about school and learning.
• Behaviour is good, and classrooms are usually calm and purposeful.
• The curriculum is broad and balanced, with clear knowledge and sequencing from the early years.
• Reading is prioritised, with high-quality texts and a well-trained phonics programme starting in Reception.
• Pupils with SEND are identified quickly and generally supported to learn alongside classmates.
• Personal development is strengthened through leadership roles, visits, visitors, music, choir and clubs.
• Governance and leadership are improving under new arrangements, and staff feel supported.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum delivery is not consistently strong across subjects, with some unclear explanations limiting pupils’ understanding.
• Some activities are not adapted well enough to meet all pupils’ needs, including some pupils with SEND.
• The school does not check pupils’ written and spoken communication precisely enough, so some errors go unaddressed.

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 Standish Lower Ground St Anne's CofE Primary School attended 95.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 12.2% 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, 0.7% of pupils at Standish Lower Ground St Anne's CofE 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 Standish Lower Ground St Anne's CofE Primary School had 18.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 22.2% 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, 26.9% of pupils at Standish Lower Ground St Anne's CofE Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.8% 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 Standish Lower Ground St Anne's CofE Primary School received £8,150 and spent £8,213 for each of its 145 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £10,000 (£72 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 Standish Lower Ground St Anne's CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Standish Lower Ground St Anne's CofE Primary School is Good, from an inspection in December 2024.

When was Standish Lower Ground St Anne's CofE Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Standish Lower Ground St Anne's CofE Primary School was last inspected in December 2024.

How many pupils does Standish Lower Ground St Anne's CofE Primary School have?

Standish Lower Ground St Anne's CofE Primary School has 145 pupils on roll.

What age range does Standish Lower Ground St Anne's CofE Primary School cover?

Standish Lower Ground St Anne's CofE Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Standish Lower Ground St Anne's CofE Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 55% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Standish Lower Ground St Anne's CofE Primary School?

Standish Lower Ground St Anne's CofE Primary School is at Wigan Lower Road, Standish Lower Ground, Wigan, Lancashire, WN6 8JP.