Accrington Spring Hill Community Primary School

Accrington Spring Hill Community Primary School is a larger-than-average community primary in an area of well above average deprivation, with a high proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals. The school has recently come under new leadership, which has brought deep expertise and is driving rapid, sustainable improvement. Safeguarding standards are met. Most areas of the school's work are graded at Expected standard, including attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, early years, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing. Pupils are keen learners who behave well, feel safe, and benefit from a curriculum that celebrates their community and heritage. The early years provision is particularly strong, and pupils with SEND flourish due to skilful leadership. However, Achievement is graded Needs attention. Historically, pupils' attainment in national assessments for reading, writing and mathematics has been below average, and disadvantaged pupils have a large attainment gap. Leaders have recently resolved the curriculum and teaching issues that contributed to this, but it is too soon to see the full impact on national test outcomes. There are also concerns that teaching does not consistently help pupils apply spelling and grammar knowledge in longer writing. Leaders do not review the impact of their wider provision, including extra funding for disadvantaged pupils, well enough, which means some future decisions may be less well informed. Attendance is improving but remains above the national average for absence. The school is committed to improvement, and staff enjoy working there. Governors provide effective support and challenge. The next steps for leaders are to strengthen the teaching of writing, ensure recent curriculum improvements lead to better attainment over time, and sharpen their evaluation of the impact of their actions on pupils' wellbeing, learning and development.

Strengths

• High ambitions for attendance and behaviour, with attendance improving year on year.
• Pupils are keen, focused learners who behave well and respond positively to high expectations.
• A well-designed curriculum that builds knowledge logically and celebrates pupils' culture, language and local heritage.
• Mostly effective teaching, particularly in phonics and reading, supported by strong professional development.
• Strong early years provision with a well-revised Reception curriculum and effective support for children's needs.
• Skilful SEND leadership ensures pupils with SEND flourish and feel a sense of belonging.
• Leaders use extra funding to have a positive impact on disadvantaged pupils' wellbeing and learning.
• Knowledgeable leadership and governance drive improvement at pace and consider staff workload.
• Personal development is prioritised, with rich opportunities, educational trips, and teaching of British values.
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture where pupils feel safe and protected.
• The school celebrates diversity and supports pupils from asylum-seeking families.
• Pupils' views are listened to and acted upon, and they take on roles such as prefects.
• Staff enjoy working at the school and are committed to its further improvement.

Areas for Improvement

• Achievement is graded Needs attention due to historically below-average attainment in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Teaching does not consistently help pupils use their knowledge of spelling and grammar effectively in longer writing.
• Leaders do not review the impact of their wide-ranging provision well enough to inform further improvement of personal development.
• Leaders do not review the impact of extra funding for disadvantaged pupils well enough, making some decisions less well informed.
• Published information does not explain how well pupils, including those with SEND, achieve from their starting points.
• It is too soon to see the full impact of recent curriculum and teaching improvements on national test outcomes.
• Disadvantaged pupils' attainment remains below average, with a large disadvantage gap.

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 Accrington Spring Hill Community Primary School attended 92.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 22.7% 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, 6.3% of pupils at Accrington Spring Hill Community Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). 3 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 Accrington Spring Hill Community Primary School had 23.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 38.5% 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, 22.4% of pupils at Accrington Spring Hill Community Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.1% 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 Accrington Spring Hill Community Primary School received £8,379 and spent £8,407 for each of its 362 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £48,000 (£133 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 Accrington · Lancashire local authority: places and applications

What is Accrington Spring Hill Community Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Accrington Spring Hill Community Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Accrington Spring Hill Community Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Accrington Spring Hill Community Primary School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Accrington Spring Hill Community Primary School have?

Accrington Spring Hill Community Primary School has 362 pupils on roll.

What age range does Accrington Spring Hill Community Primary School cover?

Accrington Spring Hill Community Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Accrington Spring Hill Community Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 23% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Accrington Spring Hill Community Primary School?

Accrington Spring Hill Community Primary School is at Exchange Street, Accrington, Lancashire, BB5 0JD.