Poulton-le-Sands Church of England Primary School

Poulton-le-Sands Church of England Primary School has demonstrated effective leadership and care in establishing a supportive and safe environment for its pupils. With a strong focus on attendance and behaviour management, the school has made notable improvements, especially in reducing persistent absence among disadvantaged pupils. The early years provision is particularly strong, with a well-structured curriculum that aids children's development and prepares them effectively for Year 1. However, variability in pupil achievement, particularly by the end of key stage 2, indicates that not all students are securing the critical knowledge and skills needed for future learning, which poses a concern for their long-term academic success.

Strengths

• Established a strong and caring ethos that prioritizes pupil safety and wellbeing.
• Improved attendance rates, especially among disadvantaged pupils.
• Strong early years curriculum promoting physical skills and language development.
• Effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Robust transition processes for new pupils to ensure continuity of learning.

Areas for Improvement

• Variable pupil achievement with some not securing essential knowledge by key stage 2.
• Inconsistent depth of understanding across the wider curriculum.
• Quality of teaching in Years 1 to 6 is variable, particularly in writing.
• Need for stronger focus on teaching foundational knowledge.

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 Poulton-le-Sands Church of England Primary School attended 94.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 15.9% 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, 1.9% of pupils at Poulton-le-Sands 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 Poulton-le-Sands Church of England Primary School had 18.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 28.3% 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, 20.0% of pupils at Poulton-le-Sands Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 7.3% 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 Poulton-le-Sands Church of England Primary School received £7,815 and spent £7,524 for each of its 165 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £41,000 (£251 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 Morecambe · Lancashire local authority: places and applications

What is Poulton-le-Sands Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Poulton-le-Sands Church of England Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in May 2026.

When was Poulton-le-Sands Church of England Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Poulton-le-Sands Church of England Primary School was last inspected in May 2026.

How many pupils does Poulton-le-Sands Church of England Primary School have?

Poulton-le-Sands Church of England Primary School has 165 pupils on roll.

What age range does Poulton-le-Sands Church of England Primary School cover?

Poulton-le-Sands Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Poulton-le-Sands Church of England Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 36% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Poulton-le-Sands Church of England Primary School?

Poulton-le-Sands Church of England Primary School is at Church Street, Morecambe, Lancashire, LA4 5QA.