Howick Church Endowed Primary School

Ofsted inspected Howick Church Endowed Primary School in May 2026 and found it performing very well across all areas, with safeguarding standards met. The school is a small Church of England primary in Penwortham, Preston, which changed from voluntary controlled to voluntary aided status in September 2024 and teaches pupils in mixed-age classes. It has relatively few disadvantaged pupils and no resourced SEND provision. Pupils achieve highly: attainment in reading, writing and mathematics is consistently above national averages, and disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND make strong progress. Attendance is above average, persistent absence is low, and behaviour is impeccable. The curriculum is broad and ambitious, teaching is knowledgeable and well matched to pupils' needs, and early years children flourish and are well prepared for Year 1. Inclusion is at the heart of practice, leadership and governance are ambitious and accurate, and personal development and wellbeing are carefully supported. Staff feel well supported, and leaders work closely with parents and carers. The main next step is to embed curriculum refinements already underway so that consistently high-quality practice is sustained over time and continues to have a lasting impact on pupils' achievement.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve highly in reading, writing and mathematics, with attainment consistently above national averages.
• Disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND make strong progress through the curriculum.
• Pupils develop phonics and number fluency quickly and use these skills confidently.
• Attendance is above the national average, with low persistent absence.
• Pupils behave impeccably, are kind and cooperative, and very rarely experience bullying.
• The curriculum is broad, ambitious and well adapted to mixed-age classes.
• Teaching is highly knowledgeable, with effective assessment and timely support for additional needs.
• Early years provision is strong, and children are very well prepared for Year 1.
• Inclusion is central to daily practice, with timely and well-matched support for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils.
• Leadership and governance are ambitious, accurate in self-evaluation, and supportive of staff wellbeing.
• Personal development and wellbeing are carefully taught, including safety, relationships and citizenship.
• Pupils gain leadership experience and contribute positively to the local community.

Areas for Improvement

• Embed the curriculum refinements already underway to sustain consistently high-quality practice over time and ensure a lasting impact on pupils' achievement.

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 Howick Church Endowed Primary School attended 96.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 4.4% 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, 1.0% of pupils at Howick Church Endowed 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 Howick Church Endowed Primary School had 20.6 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, 12.6% of pupils at Howick Church Endowed Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.9% 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 Howick Church Endowed Primary School received £7,665 and spent £7,840 for each of its 103 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £74,000 (£720 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 Howick Church Endowed Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Howick Church Endowed Primary School is Strong standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Howick Church Endowed Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Howick Church Endowed Primary School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Howick Church Endowed Primary School have?

Howick Church Endowed Primary School has 103 pupils on roll.

What age range does Howick Church Endowed Primary School cover?

Howick Church Endowed Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Howick Church Endowed Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 80% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Howick Church Endowed Primary School?

Howick Church Endowed Primary School is at Liverpool Road, Penwortham, Preston, Lancashire, PR1 0NB.