Rawtenstall Newchurch Church of England Primary School

Rawtenstall Newchurch Church of England Primary School is a small voluntary-controlled primary school that was inspected in January 2025. The school has had significant leadership change, with the current headteacher appointed in 2024, and leaders have acted quickly to redesign the curriculum and improve reading, behaviour and attendance. Pupils are warm, respectful and well behaved, personal development is strong, and safeguarding is effective. However, the quality of education and early years provision require improvement because the new curriculum is not yet fully embedded and pupils have gaps in their knowledge. Published 2024 results were lower than average in phonics, reading, writing and mathematics. The school has introduced a new phonics programme and improved support for pupils who struggle with reading, and pupils now read more confidently, but the long-term impact is not yet clear. In the early years, the curriculum is not defined precisely enough, which makes it harder for children to build knowledge securely and be ready for Year 1. Leaders are refining systems to check how well pupils are learning the curriculum, but these are still in their infancy. This limits the school’s ability to identify and address historic and current gaps in learning. Governors are aware of the school’s priorities and check the impact of its work, and staff workload and well-being have been considered during the changes.

Strengths

• Warm and nurturing relationships between staff and pupils
• Pupils behave positively in lessons and at social times
• Pupils celebrate and respect each other’s uniqueness
• Pupils take on responsibilities such as play leaders and school councillors
• A wide range of clubs develops pupils’ interests and talents
• The school is ambitious for pupils and has redesigned the curriculum
• The new phonics programme is delivered consistently and pupils read with fluency
• Support for pupils with SEND is tenacious and well informed by specialist advice
• Personal, social, health and economic education is effective
• Attendance work is having a strong impact on reducing absence
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective
• Governors are acutely aware of the school’s areas for development

Areas for Improvement

• The early years curriculum is not defined precisely enough to build children’s knowledge securely
• The curriculum across many subjects is new and not fully embedded
• Pupils have gaps in knowledge because previous curriculum weaknesses were not addressed effectively
• Systems for checking the impact of the new curriculum are in their infancy
• Published 2024 outcomes were lower than average in phonics, reading, writing and mathematics
• It is too early to see the long-term impact of reading and phonics improvements on published outcomes

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 Rawtenstall Newchurch Church of England Primary School attended 92.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 21.9% 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, 2.6% of pupils at Rawtenstall Newchurch 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 Rawtenstall Newchurch Church of England Primary School had 17.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 26.3% 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, 31.2% of pupils at Rawtenstall Newchurch Church of England 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 Rawtenstall Newchurch Church of England Primary School received £9,757 and spent £10,165 for each of its 112 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £77,000 (£691 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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• Secondary Schools

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

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

The latest Ofsted rating for Rawtenstall Newchurch Church of England Primary School is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in February 2025.

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

Rawtenstall Newchurch Church of England Primary School was last inspected in February 2025.

How many pupils does Rawtenstall Newchurch Church of England Primary School have?

Rawtenstall Newchurch Church of England Primary School has 112 pupils on roll.

What age range does Rawtenstall Newchurch Church of England Primary School cover?

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

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

In 2025, 20% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Rawtenstall Newchurch Church of England Primary School?

Rawtenstall Newchurch Church of England Primary School is at Dark Lane, Newchurch, Rossendale, Lancashire, BB4 7UA.