Hornby St Margaret's Church of England Primary School

Hornby St Margaret's Church of England Primary School is a very small, 39-pupil Church of England primary in the Lune Valley Federation. This full inspection found safeguarding standards met and the school meeting expected standards in curriculum and teaching, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing. Since the previous inspection, a new headteacher and reformed governing body have driven decisive improvements: the curriculum is now ambitious and well sequenced, teaching is clearer, inclusion has been transformed, and pupils benefit from a calm, caring and purposeful environment with strong personal development and enrichment. Pupils feel safe and valued, behave well, and receive effective support for SEND. However, achievement and attendance and behaviour are identified as needing attention. Some pupils, particularly older pupils, are not as prepared as they could be for the next stage because of gaps in spelling, handwriting and secure subject knowledge, and assessment systems do not precisely pinpoint these gaps. Attendance monitoring is not sharp enough, meaning some families do not receive timely help and some pupils continue to miss important learning. Inspectors' next steps focus on improving attendance systems, sharpening assessment of knowledge gaps, and using writing information to address transcription weaknesses.

Strengths

• Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum with clear sequencing of what pupils will learn and when.
• Teachers know their subjects well and explain new ideas clearly and accurately.
• Reading and writing are prioritised, and pupils who fall behind catch up quickly.
• Teachers adapt activities effectively to meet the needs of all pupils, including those with SEND.
• Inclusion has been transformed through early identification, specialist advice and detailed support plans.
• Leaders have an accurate view of the school's strengths and areas for development and act decisively.
• Governors provide focused scrutiny and hold leaders to account for the quality of education.
• Staff wellbeing and workload are considered, and new staff receive clear guidance and regular support.
• Pupils show respect, curiosity and an understanding of fundamental British values.
• A well-designed PSHE programme helps pupils build healthy relationships and stay safe online.
• Pupils enjoy a wide range of clubs, visits and outdoor experiences that broaden their horizons.
• The school has a calm, orderly environment with positive relationships and good pupil behaviour.
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture in which concerns are identified and managed.

Areas for Improvement

• Some older pupils make persistent spelling and grammar errors and have insecure handwriting.
• Some pupils move on to new learning before they are ready, leaving gaps in their knowledge.
• Leaders' assessment systems do not precisely identify gaps caused by weaker previous curriculums.
• Published outcomes have been variable and below national averages in writing and mathematics in recent years.
• Attendance monitoring lacks precision, so some families do not get timely help to overcome barriers.
• Some pupils miss too much school and consequently miss important learning.
• Not all pupils have benefited equally from the improvements leaders have put in place.

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 Hornby St Margaret's Church of England Primary School attended 95.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 13.5% 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 Hornby St Margaret'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 2024–25 Hornby St Margaret's Church of England Primary School had 22.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.8). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 27.8% 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 2024–25 Hornby St Margaret's Church of England Primary School received £12,851 and spent £12,281 for each of its 39 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £79,000 (£2,013 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 Lancaster · Lancashire local authority: places and applications

What is Hornby St Margaret's Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Hornby St Margaret's Church of England Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Hornby St Margaret's Church of England Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Hornby St Margaret's Church of England Primary School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Hornby St Margaret's Church of England Primary School have?

Hornby St Margaret's Church of England Primary School has 16 pupils on roll.

What age range does Hornby St Margaret's Church of England Primary School cover?

Hornby St Margaret's Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 55% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Hornby St Margaret's Church of England Primary School?

Hornby St Margaret's Church of England Primary School is at Main Street, Hornby, Hornby St. Margaret's Church of England Primary School, Lancaster, Lancashire, LA2 8JY.