St John Southworth RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy

St John Southworth RC Primary School is a friendly, family-like Roman Catholic primary academy in the Romero multi-academy trust. Safeguarding standards are met. Inspectors found the school performing at the expected standard in attendance and behaviour, early years, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development. Attendance has improved and disadvantaged pupils' attendance matches national peers; behaviour is positive; pupils feel happy and safe; early years provides warm relationships and good progress; inclusion support for SEND and EAL is effective; and leadership/governance are focused on pupils' best interests.

Strengths

• Attendance has improved and disadvantaged pupils' attendance matches national peers.
• Pupils behave well, follow school rules, and bullying or derogatory language is rare.
• Early years provides warm, nurturing relationships and children progress well across areas of learning.
• Staff quickly identify and support children with additional needs in early years.
• Pupils with SEND and EAL are well supported through targeted training and strategies.
• Pastoral support helps pupils build resilience and confidence.
• Additional funding is used effectively to broaden opportunities for disadvantaged pupils and those known to social services.
• Leaders and trust work collaboratively, with clear priorities and strong professional development.
• Governance provides effective oversight of curriculum, achievement, and attendance.
• Personal development programme is well designed, with accessible extracurricular activities and health/safety education.
• Pupils develop respect, tolerance, and understanding of British values.
• Pupils take on leadership roles and contribute to school life.
• Disadvantaged pupils achieve well in writing; phonics and multiplication tables check results are in line with national averages.
• Curriculum is broad, ambitious, and logically sequenced from early years to Year 6.

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils do not achieve as well as they should by the end of Year 6.
• Some pupils have gaps in prior reading, writing, and mathematics skills.
• Some pupils struggle to remember important vocabulary and previous learning.
• Some pupils do not receive effective-enough support to develop fluency in reading, writing, and mathematics.
• Gaps in basic reading, writing, and mathematics skills persist despite curriculum improvements.
• Some teachers do not consistently check that pupils have understood vocabulary or concepts over time.
• Some pupils are not as well prepared as they should be for the next stage of education.
• Overall absence and persistent absence remain above national averages according to inspection data.

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 St John Southworth RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy attended 94.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 15.5% 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, 0.9% of pupils at St John Southworth RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy 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 St John Southworth RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy had 26.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 23.4% 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, 9.6% of pupils at St John Southworth RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 7.2% 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 St John Southworth RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy received £8,116 and spent £7,725 for each of its 212 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £312,000 (£1,471 per pupil).

Across all 16 schools of Romero Catholic Academy Trust, income was £8,388 and spending £8,280 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 Nelson · Lancashire local authority: places and applications

St John Southworth RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy is part of Romero Catholic Academy Trust, which runs 18 schools. The nearest others:

• Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Nelson
• St John the Baptist RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Burnley
• Blessed Trinity Roman Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy Burnley
• St Mary's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Burnley
• St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Burnley
• Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Colne
• St Augustine of Canterbury RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy Burnley
• Christ The King Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Burnley
• St Michael and St John's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Clitheroe
• St Anne's and St Joseph's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy Accrington

What is St John Southworth RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St John Southworth RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy is Needs attention, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was St John Southworth RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

St John Southworth RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does St John Southworth RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy have?

St John Southworth RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy has 209 pupils on roll.

What age range does St John Southworth RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy cover?

St John Southworth RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy for pupils aged 5 to 11.

What are St John Southworth RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 18% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St John Southworth RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy?

St John Southworth RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy is at Lomeshaye Road, Nelson, Lancashire, BB9 0DQ.