North Cockerington Church of England Primary School

North Cockerington Church of England Primary School is a small, community-focused school where pupils enjoy attending and parents value the friendly, supportive environment. Children in the early years get off to a strong start, and safeguarding is effective. Pupils feel safe, relationships between older and younger pupils are positive, and there is a range of clubs and activities that help develop talents and interests. However, most areas of the school's work require improvement. The curriculum is ambitious in intent but is not implemented consistently, and pupils often struggle to recall what they have been taught. Assessment is not used routinely to check understanding or address gaps, and teaching in mixed-age classes is not adapted well enough. Behaviour around the school is calm, but expectations for learning behaviour are inconsistent, so some low-level disruption goes uncorrected and pupils are not always engaged. Early reading is a strength, but older pupils are not encouraged enough to read for pleasure, and some key stage 2 pupils say they dislike reading. Pupils with SEND are identified quickly and supported well by additional adults, but some staff do not adapt learning sufficiently for them. Personal development is not yet preparing pupils well enough for life in modern Britain, with limited understanding of British values and protected characteristics. Leadership has clear statutory understanding from governors, and staff generally enjoy working at the school, but strategic oversight is lacking in some areas. Priorities are not identified sharply enough, new initiatives are not implemented consistently, and some staff feel their well-being is not considered well enough. This was the school's first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is part of a federation with one other school.

Strengths

• Early years provision is good and gives children a positive start.
• The phonics programme helps children learn and blend sounds quickly.
• Staff identify pupils with SEND swiftly and additional adults support them well.
• Pupils feel safe and know how to keep themselves safe, including online.
• Most pupils are polite and courteous, with positive relationships between older and younger pupils.
• Pupils benefit from extra-curricular clubs and activities such as nature and sports clubs.
• The school is at the heart of its community and parents are very supportive.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• Governors know their statutory duties and understand the school's priorities.

Areas for Improvement

• The curriculum is not implemented consistently, so pupils struggle to recall important knowledge.
• The school does not routinely check what pupils know and remember or address gaps in learning.
• Teaching is not adapted well enough for pupils in mixed-age classes.
• Some staff do not adapt learning well enough for pupils with SEND.
• Expectations of pupils' learning behaviour are inconsistent, and low-level disruption is not always corrected.
• Older pupils are not encouraged to take books home, and some key stage 2 pupils dislike reading.
• Personal development does not prepare pupils well enough for life in modern Britain.
• Pupils have limited understanding of British values and protected characteristics.
• There is a lack of strategic oversight in some aspects of the school's work.
• Some staff feel their well-being is not considered as well as it could be.

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 North Cockerington Church of England Primary School attended 95.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 11.4% 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, 0.0% of pupils at North Cockerington 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 North Cockerington Church of England Primary School had 16.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 30.9% 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, 19.0% of pupils at North Cockerington Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.8% 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 North Cockerington Church of England Primary School received £8,939 and spent £9,016 for each of its 79 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £25,000 (£318 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 Louth · Lincolnshire local authority: places and applications

What is North Cockerington Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for North Cockerington Church of England Primary School is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in July 2025.

When was North Cockerington Church of England Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

North Cockerington Church of England Primary School was last inspected in July 2025.

How many pupils does North Cockerington Church of England Primary School have?

North Cockerington Church of England Primary School has 79 pupils on roll.

What age range does North Cockerington Church of England Primary School cover?

North Cockerington Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are North Cockerington Church of England Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 38% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is North Cockerington Church of England Primary School?

North Cockerington Church of England Primary School is at School Lane, North Cockerington, Louth, Lincolnshire, LN11 7EP.