Canon Johnson CofE Primary School

Canon Johnson CofE Primary School is performing well, achieving good ratings across all inspected areas. The welcoming environment created by the staff helps pupils feel safe and appreciated, contributing positively to their experience and behaviour. The school has implemented a broad curriculum with a strong focus on essential subjects like mathematics and reading, which supports the students' academic success. However, as the school's first inspection since joining the Forward as One multi-academy trust in 2019, some areas need attention to ensure all curriculum components are developed effectively.

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe and happy at school due to the supportive staff environment.
• Behaviour is strong, and pupils have high expectations of their conduct.
• The curriculum is broad and ambitious, fostering good foundations in key subjects.
• Effective phonics curriculum helping pupils, including those with SEND, to read proficiently.
• Leaders and governors have high aspirations for all pupils and take decisive actions as needed.

Areas for Improvement

• In a few subjects, content is not defined in sufficient detail, affecting depth of knowledge.
• Teachers in some subjects have not effectively considered the best teaching methods for key content.

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 Canon Johnson CofE Primary School attended 94.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 13.7% 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 Canon Johnson CofE 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 Canon Johnson CofE Primary School had 20.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 26.5% 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, 20.3% of pupils at Canon Johnson CofE Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.4% 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 2024–25 Canon Johnson CofE Primary School received £7,248 and spent £6,907 for each of its 215 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £460,000 (£2,140 per pupil).

Across all 15 schools of Forward As One Church of England Multi Academy Trust, income was £7,286 and spending £7,417 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Ashton-Under-Lyne · Tameside local authority: places and applications

Canon Johnson CofE Primary School is part of Forward As One Church of England Multi Academy Trust, which runs 17 schools. The nearest others:

• St James' Church of England Primary School Ashton-Under-Lyne
• Parochial CofE Primary and Nursery School, Ashton-under-Lyne Ashton-Under-Lyne
• St Stephen's CofE Primary School Manchester
• St John's Church of England Primary School Manchester
• St George's CofE Primary School Ashton-Under-Lyne
• St Anne's CofE Lydgate Primary School Oldham
• St Chad's Church of England Primary School Oldham
• Middleton Parish Church School Manchester
• St Thomas' Church of England Primary School Rochdale
• St Paul's Church of England Primary School Bury

What is Canon Johnson CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Canon Johnson CofE Primary School is Good, from an inspection in July 2023.

When was Canon Johnson CofE Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Canon Johnson CofE Primary School was last inspected in July 2023.

How many pupils does Canon Johnson CofE Primary School have?

Canon Johnson CofE Primary School has 227 pupils on roll.

What age range does Canon Johnson CofE Primary School cover?

Canon Johnson CofE Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Canon Johnson CofE Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 62% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Canon Johnson CofE Primary School?

Canon Johnson CofE Primary School is at Elgin Street, Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, OL7 9DD.