Roughlee Church of England Primary School

Roughlee Church of England Primary School is a small, welcoming village primary where pupils feel safe, valued and part of a family. Safeguarding standards are met, and personal development and wellbeing is a standout strength: pastoral care, PSHE, enrichment clubs, pupil leadership roles and community involvement are highly effective. Behaviour and attendance are secure, with positive relationships, clear routines and improving attendance for persistently absent pupils. Across achievement, curriculum and teaching, early years, inclusion, and leadership and governance, the school meets expected standards. Pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, achieve well and outperform national averages in reading, writing and mathematics, and pupils with SEND make positive progress from their starting points. Leaders and governors know the school well, provide effective support and challenge, and manage staff workload and wellbeing sensibly. The main areas for further work are pupils' foundational writing skills, particularly handwriting, grammar and spelling, where gaps are not always identified and addressed quickly enough. The early years curriculum also needs clearer key knowledge and vocabulary so that staff interactions consistently deepen children's learning. Overall, this is a strong and inclusive school with no area falling below expected standards and notable strength in personal development.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture where concerns are actively identified and managed.
• Personal development and wellbeing are strong, supported by highly effective pastoral care.
• The personal development programme includes PSHE, British values, clubs and enrichment visits.
• Pupils take on leadership roles such as ambassadors, librarians and wellbeing warriors.
• Pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, outperform national averages in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Pupils with SEND make positive progress from their starting points and most meet age-related expectations.
• Attendance and behaviour are positive, with clear routines, respect and prompt handling of bullying concerns.
• The curriculum is ambitious and well sequenced, and teachers have the expertise to deliver it well.
• Staff adapt learning effectively for pupils with SEND and other barriers to learning.
• Early years provision gives children a positive start and prepares them well for Year 1.
• Inclusion is a strength, with early identification of SEND and effective use of external specialist support.
• Leaders and governors have secure oversight and ensure decisions are in pupils' best interests.
• Staff workload and wellbeing are considered, and early career teachers value the support they receive.
• Parents and carers are generally very positive about the school.

Areas for Improvement

• A small number of pupils have gaps in handwriting and punctuation that are not consistently addressed in a timely fashion.
• Gaps in pupils' foundational writing skills are not always identified and addressed quickly enough by teachers.
• Pupils' ability to articulate their knowledge is more secure in some subjects than in others.
• The early years curriculum does not set out the key knowledge and vocabulary children need with sufficient clarity.
• Some interactions between children and staff in the early years do not accelerate learning as well as they might.

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 Roughlee Church of England Primary School attended 94.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 6.0% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Roughlee Church of England 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 Roughlee Church of England Primary School had 13.2 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, 14.0% of pupils at Roughlee Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.0% 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 Roughlee Church of England Primary School received £10,581 and spent £10,609 for each of its 50 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £77,000 (£1,545 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).

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All schools in Nelson · Lancashire local authority: places and applications

What is Roughlee Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Roughlee Church of England Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Roughlee Church of England Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Roughlee Church of England Primary School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Roughlee Church of England Primary School have?

Roughlee Church of England Primary School has 50 pupils on roll.

What age range does Roughlee Church of England Primary School cover?

Roughlee Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Roughlee Church of England Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 100% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Roughlee Church of England Primary School?

Roughlee Church of England Primary School is at Blacko Bar Road, Roughlee, Nelson, Lancashire, BB9 6NX.