The Roebuck School

The Roebuck School is performing solidly overall, with most areas of its work meeting the expected standard. Safeguarding is effective, pupils feel safe and the school has a welcoming, close-knit community. Leaders have responded thoughtfully to significant changes in the school population, including many pupils joining mid-year with limited English or little prior school experience. The curriculum is ambitious and carefully sequenced, early years provision gives children a strong start, inclusion work is thorough, and leadership and governance are supportive and increasingly effective. However, achievement and attendance require attention. Historic outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics have been well below national averages, although current pupils are making better progress from their starting points and reading progress is now close to national expectations. Some pupils still have gaps in knowledge that close too slowly, partly because teachers do not consistently use ongoing checks to adapt teaching. Attendance remains below the national average and improvements are not yet sustained, with some pupils attending sporadically and persistent absence still high. The school is well placed to improve further. Governors challenge leaders appropriately, staff value professional development and workload consideration, and pupils benefit from a broad personal development programme. The next steps focus on embedding consistent assessment-informed teaching, securing rapid and sustained gains in core reading, writing and mathematics, and strengthening attendance so more pupils leave ready for key stage 3.

Strengths

• Ambitious, carefully sequenced curriculum prioritising reading, writing and mathematics.
• Strong early years provision with a smooth Nursery to Reception curriculum.
• Clear focus on communication, language and vocabulary in early years.
• Early phonics teaching begins at the earliest opportunity.
• Thorough and systematic identification of pupils with SEND and additional needs.
• Effective 'thrive room' provision that helps pupils regulate emotions and improve readiness to learn.
• Well-targeted support for pupils arriving with limited or no prior school experience.
• Effective use of additional funding to support disadvantaged pupils' social and emotional development.
• Disadvantaged pupils make progress at least in line with national peers in reading.
• Supportive and challenging governance that serves pupils' best interests.
• Strong staff culture with valued professional learning and attention to workload.
• High expectations for behaviour create a calm and orderly learning environment.
• Pupils show mutual respect and typically follow school rules and routines.
• Effective pastoral support for wellbeing, resilience and character.
• Comprehensive personal development programme, including PSHE, British values, trips and extracurricular activities.
• Pupils feel safe, welcomed and valued in a diverse school community.
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open and positive culture of safeguarding.
• Attendance strategies are beginning to reduce frequent absence from previously high levels.

Areas for Improvement

• Historic national outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics have been well below national expectations.
• Year 1 phonics and Year 4 multiplication tables check outcomes have also been below national averages over time.
• Some pupils' gaps in knowledge persist longer than they should.
• Teachers do not consistently use ongoing checks of pupils' learning to adapt subsequent teaching.
• Some pupils with limited prior school experience do not close gaps quickly enough to be ready for next steps.
• Achievement in core subjects remains a priority despite recent improvements.
• Attendance remains below the national average.
• Improvements in attendance are not yet sustained.
• Overall absence and persistent absence are above national averages.
• Some pupils continue to attend sporadically, affecting achievement and participation.
• Leaders need to embed systems and strategies for rapid and sustained improvement in reading, writing and mathematics.
• More pupils need to leave the school ready for key stage 3.
• Oversight and promotion of attendance need further strengthening.
• Disadvantaged pupils' combined reading, writing and mathematics outcomes remain below national averages.
• Staff in early years occasionally do not build on children's responses.

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 The Roebuck School attended 93.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 22.0% 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, 5.6% of pupils at The Roebuck School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). 2 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 The Roebuck School had 19.0 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, 15.3% of pupils at The Roebuck School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.2% 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 The Roebuck School received £7,710 and spent £7,709 for each of its 331 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £199,000 (£600 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 Preston · Lancashire local authority: places and applications

What is The Roebuck School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Roebuck School is Needs attention, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was The Roebuck School last inspected by Ofsted?

The Roebuck School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does The Roebuck School have?

The Roebuck School has 340 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Roebuck School cover?

The Roebuck School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are The Roebuck School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 44% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is The Roebuck School?

The Roebuck School is at Inkerman Street, Ashton, Preston, Lancashire, PR2 2BN.