Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School, Church

Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School is a happy, caring school where pupils feel safe, relationships are warm and behaviour is positive. The quality of education is the main area needing improvement, while behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision are stronger. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. New leadership has brought considerable change after a period of staffing and leadership instability. The curriculum has been overhauled, behaviour has improved, subject leadership has strengthened and pupils are generally experiencing a better quality of education. However, these improvements are having less impact on older pupils, who have significant gaps in learning, especially in writing, following weaknesses in the previous curriculum and staffing turbulence. Published Year 6 attainment in reading, writing and mathematics has been below the national average for some time. The school has clear strengths in early years, phonics, SEND support, personal development and attendance. Pupils benefit from a wide range of opportunities and take on leadership roles responsibly. The main priorities are to ensure teachers consistently match learning activities to the intended curriculum and to address older pupils’ gaps so they are well prepared for the next stage of education.

Strengths

• Warm, caring and safe school environment with positive relationships
• Pupils are polite, respectful and have positive attitudes to learning
• High expectations for behaviour are consistently met
• Strong personal development provision, including safety and citizenship
• Effective early years curriculum that prepares children well for key stage 1
• Phonics programme helps most pupils read with confidence and fluency
• Improved identification and support for pupils with SEND
• Attendance and punctuality are improving through effective school action
• Pupils value extra-curricular clubs and leadership responsibilities
• Staff are well supported and their well-being is considered
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• Quality of education requires improvement
• Older pupils have significant gaps in learning, especially in writing
• Some teachers do not consistently match learning activities to key curriculum knowledge
• Assessment is less effective at identifying and remedying older pupils’ knowledge gaps
• Previous staffing and leadership instability has negatively affected pupils’ achievement
• Published Year 6 attainment in reading, writing and mathematics has been below national average
• Governance vacancies have placed considerable responsibility on a small number of governors

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 Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School, Church attended 91.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 28.4% 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, 5.5% of pupils at Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School, Church 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 Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School, Church had 31.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 67.0% 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, 16.6% of pupils at Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School, Church were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.0% 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 Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School, Church received £9,205 and spent £8,828 for each of its 189 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £42,000 (£222 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 Accrington · Lancashire local authority: places and applications

What is Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School, Church's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School, Church is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School, Church last inspected by Ofsted?

Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School, Church was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School, Church have?

Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School, Church has 199 pupils on roll.

What age range does Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School, Church cover?

Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School, Church for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School, Church's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 40% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School, Church?

Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School, Church is at Bradshaw Row, Church, Accrington, Lancashire, BB5 4HG.