Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School

Eccleston St Mary’s Church of England Primary School has been rated as 'good' overall in its recent inspection, following a previous judgement of 'outstanding' in 2011. The new rating reflects changes in the school's context and the current inspection framework. Leaders have worked hard to raise expectations and improve pupils' achievement, focusing on embedding a Christian ethos and fostering strong relationships across the school community. The school has maintained high standards of behaviour and attendance, with pupils showing exceptional respect for each other and their surroundings. While the school excels in many areas, particularly in behaviour and attitudes, there are areas identified for improvement. This includes training for teaching assistants in phonics to bolster their effectiveness in teaching early reading skills. The leadership team is relatively new, and there is an emphasis on developing subject leaders to ensure the curriculum is taught effectively. Overall, the school is on a positive trajectory and demonstrates a commitment to improvement and the well-being of its pupils and staff.

Strengths

• Pupils behave exceptionally well in class and during breaks.
• Strong relationships between pupils, staff, and volunteers.
• Pupils feel safe and know how to keep safe online.
• Teachers and teaching assistants support pupils effectively.
• The curriculum is designed to ignite pupils' imaginations.
• High levels of pupil participation in activities and councils.
• Teachers model a love of reading that is infectious among pupils.
• Pupils' attendance is consistently higher than the national average.
• Governors are ambitious and knowledgeable about pupil achievement.

Areas for Improvement

• Teaching assistants require training in phonics and early reading.
• Subject leaders need to check that the improved curriculum is being taught effectively.

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 Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School attended 95.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 7.3% 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 Eccleston St Mary's 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 Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School had 17.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 4.3% 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, 17.6% of pupils at Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.7% 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 Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School received £8,242 and spent £8,469 for each of its 148 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £61,000 (£410 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 Chorley · Lancashire local authority: places and applications

What is Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School is Good, from an inspection in February 2025.

When was Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School was last inspected in February 2025.

How many pupils does Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School have?

Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School has 148 pupils on roll.

What age range does Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School cover?

Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 60% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School?

Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School is at The Green, Eccleston, Chorley, Lancashire, PR7 5TE.