Pilling St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

Pilling St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is meeting the expected standard across all evaluated areas, and safeguarding standards are met. This is a small, mixed-age primary school that has experienced leadership change since the last inspection, including a new headteacher and chair of governors. Pupils achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6, and disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND generally achieve well from their starting points. Attendance is typically regular, behaviour is positive, and the school provides a calm and safe environment. The school's curriculum is ambitious and carefully sequenced for mixed-age classes, with effective oversight and a consistent focus on identifying and addressing gaps in pupils' knowledge. Early years provision is effective, particularly in phonics, and inclusion work is strong. Leaders and governors work well together, staff feel trusted and valued, and personal development is carefully considered through clubs, trips and pastoral support. However, leaders' ambitions are not yet fully realised: pupils do not consistently achieve better than national averages across the curriculum, and some aspects of personal development, including PSHE and knowledge of fundamental British values and different cultures, need further development. The inspection identifies clear next steps rather than serious weaknesses. Early years pupils need to develop more detailed understanding across all required areas of learning, PSHE knowledge needs to be more secure and detailed, and all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, those with SEND and those known to social care, need to achieve consistently well and produce high-quality work across the curriculum. Attendance has improved very recently, but this remains at an early stage.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.
• Disadvantaged pupils achieve well compared with disadvantaged pupils nationally.
• Pupils with SEND progress and achieve well from their individual starting points.
• Pupils are well prepared for their next stages of education.
• Attendance is typically regular, with SEND attendance above the national average for several years.
• Persistent absence among disadvantaged pupils has reduced markedly over the past three years.
• Pupils are calm, safe and positive, and behaviour in lessons is typically consistent.
• Bullying and other unkind behaviour are not tolerated, and pupils feel safe.
• The curriculum is ambitious, well sequenced for mixed-age classes, and provides equitable access for all pupils.
• Leaders have established a consistent approach to identifying and addressing gaps in pupils' knowledge.
• The early years curriculum builds children's knowledge and skills effectively, especially in phonics.
• Pupils with SEND are identified quickly and supported well, with strong work with parents and external partners.
• Leadership and governance are effective, with staff feeling trusted and valued through periods of change.
• Personal development is carefully considered, with broad clubs, trips and pastoral support.
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open and positive culture.

Areas for Improvement

• Early years pupils' understanding across all required areas of learning and development is not yet detailed enough to make them exceptionally well prepared for Year 1.
• Pupils' PSHE knowledge is not yet secure and detailed across the curriculum.
• Some pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, those with SEND and those known to social care, do not consistently achieve well, develop detailed knowledge and skills, and produce high-quality work across the curriculum.
• National test results are not yet typically above average over time across the curriculum.
• Some pupils' knowledge of fundamental British values and different cultures remains limited or variable.
• Recent improvements in attendance are still at an early stage.

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 Pilling St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School attended 95.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 10.7% 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 Pilling St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided 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 Pilling St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School had 18.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 40.0% 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, 7.5% of pupils at Pilling St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.3% 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 Pilling St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School received £8,195 and spent £8,962 for each of its 93 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £68,000 (-£729 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 Preston · Lancashire local authority: places and applications

What is Pilling St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Pilling St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Pilling St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Pilling St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Pilling St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School have?

Pilling St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School has 93 pupils on roll.

What age range does Pilling St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School cover?

Pilling St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Pilling St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 71% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Pilling St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?

Pilling St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is at Ladies Hill, Pilling, Preston, Lancashire, PR3 6HA.