St Peter's CofE Primary School

St Peter's CofE Primary School is a small church primary in a highly deprived area with well-above-average proportions of pupils eligible for free school meals and pupils with EHC plans. The inspection found safeguarding standards met and most provision at expected standard, including attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, early years, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing. Pupils are proud, feel safe and behave well, and leaders are strong in using community knowledge to support disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND. The main concern is achievement. Over time pupils have not secured the knowledge they need in reading and writing, and attainment in these areas by the end of Year 6 remained below national averages in 2025. Older pupils have gaps in their learning that are not being addressed quickly enough, and recent improvements are less apparent in key stage 2 than in early years and key stage 1. Handwriting and writing stamina also remain barriers in some classes and across the wider curriculum. Leaders have taken decisive steps to improve reading and writing, and attendance has improved to be in line with national averages, though persistent absence is still above average. The next steps focus on embedding the new foundational writing approach consistently, especially for older pupils, and continuing to improve attendance. Parents speak highly of the school, and pupils benefit from a broad personal development offer, including clubs, visits and leadership roles.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture where pupils feel safe.
• Pupils are proud of their school and have a strong sense of belonging.
• Attendance has improved and is now in line with national averages.
• Classrooms are calm and focused, with clear routines and positive attitudes to learning.
• Pupils behave well, bullying is rare and incidents are dealt with effectively.
• Early years provision is well designed and resourced, with purposeful indoor and outdoor learning.
• The early years curriculum prioritises communication, language and phonics.
• Reading and mathematics teaching successfully builds pupils' knowledge.
• The curriculum beyond English and mathematics is well designed with clear end points.
• Staff are skilled at adapting teaching for pupils with SEND.
• Leaders identify pupils' needs swiftly and support EAL and disadvantaged pupils effectively.
• Leaders work well with external professionals and provide high-quality staff training.
• Leaders support staff workload and wellbeing; staff are proud to work at the school.
• Governors fulfil statutory duties and monitor the school's impact closely.
• Parents speak highly of the school and feel part of the school community.
• The personal development programme is coherent and progressive, promoting mental health and wellbeing.
• Pupils take on leadership roles and participation in clubs and visits is high.

Areas for Improvement

• Achievement needs attention because pupils' attainment in reading and writing by the end of Year 6 remained below national averages in 2025.
• Older pupils have gaps in learning that are not being addressed quickly enough, especially in key stage 2.
• Recent improvements in reading and writing are less apparent in key stage 2 than in early years and key stage 1.
• Handwriting teaching is variable across Years 3 to 6 and limits pupils' writing stamina.
• Writing stamina and control can be a barrier to learning in the wider curriculum.
• Persistent absence remains above the national average, although it is reducing.
• Disadvantaged pupils' performance and gaps remain a concern in some measures.
• Leaders must ensure the recently introduced foundational writing approach is followed consistently well.

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 St Peter's CofE Primary School attended 92.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 17.5% 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 St Peter's CofE 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 St Peter's CofE Primary School had 14.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 2.4% 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, 27.2% of pupils at St Peter's CofE Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 7.9% 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 St Peter's CofE Primary School received £10,783 and spent £10,389 for each of its 115 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £109,000 (£949 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 Accrington · Lancashire local authority: places and applications

What is St Peter's CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Peter's CofE Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was St Peter's CofE Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

St Peter's CofE Primary School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does St Peter's CofE Primary School have?

St Peter's CofE Primary School has 114 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Peter's CofE Primary School cover?

St Peter's CofE Primary School for pupils aged 5 to 11.

What are St Peter's CofE Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 50% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Peter's CofE Primary School?

St Peter's CofE Primary School is at Cartmel Avenue, Accrington, Lancashire, BB5 0NW.