Buckshaw Primary School

Buckshaw Primary School is a happy, welcoming school where pupil wellbeing is a high priority and staff build supportive relationships with pupils and families. Leaders have created an ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum that starts in early years, and children get off to a flying start. Reading and phonics are prioritised, pupils with SEND are identified quickly and supported effectively, behaviour is managed well, and personal development is strong through values, leadership roles and enrichment. Safeguarding is effective, parents are positive, governance is strong, and staff morale is high. This inspection followed a previous Requires Improvement judgement and comes after new headteacher and deputy appointments; the school is now judged good in each inspected area. Two main areas for improvement remain. Some teachers do not have consistently high enough expectations of what pupils can do, which means some pupils do not learn as well as they should. The school’s newer approaches to checking pupils’ learning are effective where used but are not yet fully embedded across all subjects, so in a few subjects gaps are not addressed as sharply. Published 2024 phonics results were significantly below average, mainly because of weaknesses in the previous curriculum that leaders have since addressed.

Strengths

• Ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum that builds knowledge logically from early years upwards
• Strong early years provision where children settle quickly and concentrate well
• Effective phonics teaching and reading support, with books well matched to pupils’ phonics knowledge
• Swift identification of SEND and effective support through external agencies and adapted learning
• Positive behaviour and supportive action when pupils struggle with their emotions
• Strong personal development through leadership roles, core values and enrichment activities
• Effective attendance promotion and thorough follow-up when pupils do not attend regularly
• Supportive leadership that considers staff workload and maintains high staff morale
• Strong governance and improved communication with parents

Areas for Improvement

• Some teachers’ expectations of what pupils should achieve are not high enough
• Approaches to checking pupils’ learning are not fully embedded across the whole curriculum
• In a few subjects, gaps in pupils’ knowledge are not addressed as well as they could be
• Published 2024 phonics screening results were significantly below average, although previous curriculum weaknesses have since been addressed

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 Buckshaw Primary School attended 94.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 14.1% 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, 3.6% of pupils at Buckshaw 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 Buckshaw Primary School had 23.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 19.5% 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, 9.5% of pupils at Buckshaw Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 7.1% 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 Buckshaw Primary School received £8,599 and spent £8,359 for each of its 210 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £87,000 (£413 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 Chorley · Lancashire local authority: places and applications

What is Buckshaw Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Buckshaw Primary School is Good, from an inspection in June 2025.

When was Buckshaw Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Buckshaw Primary School was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does Buckshaw Primary School have?

Buckshaw Primary School has 210 pupils on roll.

What age range does Buckshaw Primary School cover?

Buckshaw Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

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

In 2025, 43% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Buckshaw Primary School?

Buckshaw Primary School is at Chancery Road, Astley Village, Chancery Road, Chorley, Lancashire, PR7 1XP.