Litton CofE Primary School

Litton CofE Primary is a small village school at the heart of its community, offering pupils a rich, happy and highly supportive experience. Inspectors found behaviour and personal development to be exceptional: pupils are polite, self-assured and collaborative, older children model positive attitudes, and pastoral care is very strong. Pupils benefit from music, sport, productions and community traditions, and they say they feel safe and lucky to attend. The quality of education and leadership are strong, with a broad and ambitious curriculum generally well sequenced for mixed-age classes, reading and support for pupils with SEND as particular strengths, excellent attendance and effective safeguarding. However, provision is not yet fully consistent. In a few subjects, curriculum planning and delivery are not as strong as in the best subjects, the sequencing of substantive and disciplinary knowledge is not fully embedded, and checks on pupils' understanding vary in quality. As a result, pupils' learning does not stick as well in those areas and there are small inconsistencies in the quality of education pupils receive. This was the school's first routine inspection since the pandemic and its first section 5 inspection since 2012, when it was judged outstanding and exempt from routine inspection. Under the current framework the school does not receive an overall effectiveness grade; it was graded good for quality of education and leadership and management, and outstanding for behaviour and attitudes and personal development.

Strengths

• Strong community-centred ethos enriched by local events and heritage.
• Exceptionally high behaviour expectations, with pupils behaving exceptionally well.
• Pupils are confident, collaborative and caring, and older pupils are strong role models.
• Broad and ambitious curriculum prepares pupils well for their next stage.
• Curriculum is carefully sequenced for mixed-age teaching in most subjects.
• Pupils revisit important knowledge so they remember it long term.
• Pupils with SEND are identified swiftly and well supported, and achieve well.
• Reading is a whole-school priority with well-organised phonics and effective catch-up support.
• Pupils show enthusiasm for reading and books.
• Attendance procedures are extremely well managed and pupils attend well.
• PSHE curriculum is extremely well organised and responsive to local concerns.
• Pastoral care is exceptionally strong and every child is known well.
• Pupils feel very safe and can discuss important matters in a safe, accepting space.
• Governors are highly ambitious, knowledgeable, skilled and effective.
• Staff are proud to work at the school and feel well supported.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• In a few subjects, curriculum planning and delivery are less strong than in the best subjects.
• Sequencing of substantive and disciplinary knowledge is not fully embedded in some subjects.
• Checks on pupils' understanding are inconsistent in quality across lessons.
• Pupils' learning does not stick as well as it could in a few subjects.
• There are small inconsistencies in the quality of education pupils receive.
• The school should ensure the curriculum is consistently and securely planned and implemented so all pupils, including those with SEND, achieve exceptionally well.

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 Litton CofE Primary School attended 96.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 7.1% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Litton 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 Litton CofE Primary School had 14.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 16.7% of pupils at Litton CofE Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.4% 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 Litton CofE Primary School received £10,938 and spent £11,060 for each of its 42 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £48,000 (£1,147 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).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Buxton · Derbyshire local authority: places and applications

What is Litton CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Litton CofE Primary School is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was Litton CofE Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Litton CofE Primary School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Litton CofE Primary School have?

Litton CofE Primary School has 42 pupils on roll.

What age range does Litton CofE Primary School cover?

Litton CofE Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Litton CofE Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 67% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Litton CofE Primary School?

Litton CofE Primary School is at Litton, Buxton, Derbyshire, SK17 8QU.