Grimsargh St Michael's Church of England Primary School

Grimsargh St Michael’s Church of England Primary School is a welcoming, highly inclusive primary where pupils feel safe and proud to attend. This was its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and its first section 5 inspection since 2014, following a period of exemption; it is a voluntary aided Church of England school in the Diocese of Blackburn. Inspectors judged the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, and leadership and management as good, with personal development and early years provision outstanding. Under the current framework the school does not receive an overall effectiveness grade, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. Pupils achieve well by the time they leave. The curriculum is ambitious and well sequenced, reading is a priority, phonics teaching is consistent, and early years provision is high quality. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are identified early and supported well. Behaviour is good, attendance is high, and personal development is exceptionally strong, with a wide range of opportunities, pupil leadership roles, and positive contributions to the school and local community. Leaders and governors are effective in driving improvement and consider staff workload and well-being. The main area to improve is that lesson activities are not always closely matched to the intended curriculum, meaning some pupils do not learn the key knowledge the school intends as well as they could.

Strengths

• Ambitious, rich and well-sequenced curriculum from Reception to Year 6
• Pupils achieve well and are well prepared for the next stage of education
• Reading is prioritised, with well-resourced libraries and consistent phonics teaching
• Early years provision is outstanding and highly purposeful
• Pupils with SEND are identified and assessed early and supported effectively
• Pupils behave well, and bullying is rare and dealt with when it occurs
• Personal development is outstanding, with rich experiences and pupil leadership roles
• The school is a highly inclusive and nurturing community
• Governors are effective and leaders consider staff workload and well-being
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective
• Attendance is high, and the school works with families to remove barriers

Areas for Improvement

• Lesson activities do not always match the intended curriculum closely enough
• On some occasions, pupils do not learn the key knowledge the school intends sufficiently well

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 Grimsargh St Michael's Church of England Primary School attended 96.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 5.9% 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, 0.5% of pupils at Grimsargh St Michael's Church of England Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). One pupil was 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 Grimsargh St Michael's Church of England Primary School had 22.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 8.6% 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, 13.8% of pupils at Grimsargh St Michael's Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.8% 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 Grimsargh St Michael's Church of England Primary School received £6,185 and spent £6,183 for each of its 218 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £101,000 (£462 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 Grimsargh St Michael's Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Grimsargh St Michael's Church of England Primary School is Good, from an inspection in December 2024.

When was Grimsargh St Michael's Church of England Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Grimsargh St Michael's Church of England Primary School was last inspected in December 2024.

How many pupils does Grimsargh St Michael's Church of England Primary School have?

Grimsargh St Michael's Church of England Primary School has 218 pupils on roll.

What age range does Grimsargh St Michael's Church of England Primary School cover?

Grimsargh St Michael's Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 77% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Grimsargh St Michael's Church of England Primary School?

Grimsargh St Michael's Church of England Primary School is at Preston Road, Grimsargh, Preston, Lancashire, PR2 5SD.