Fulstow Church of England Primary School

Fulstow Church of England Primary School is a small, welcoming and happy school where the school's values are known and lived out by staff and pupils. Relationships are nurturing, pupils feel safe and well looked after, and parents are positive about the school. This was the school's first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and its first inspection under section 5; it joined a federation with North Cotes CE Primary School in September 2023 and is led by an executive headteacher and shared governing body. The school is ambitious for pupils and pupils achieve well. Reading is prioritised, with early phonics, effective extra support and strong parental engagement. Mathematics teaching develops fluency, reasoning and problem solving, and pupils with SEND are identified quickly and supported well. Enrichment experiences broaden pupils' knowledge of the wider world, safeguarding is effective, and governance is a particular strength. Staff value collaboration across the federation and feel their workload and wellbeing are considered. There are two main areas for improvement. In a few wider-curriculum subjects, the important knowledge pupils should learn is not identified clearly enough, which has led to gaps and misconceptions that are not systematically addressed. In addition, pupils' knowledge of values such as individual liberty, democracy and tolerance is not secure, so they are not as well prepared for some aspects of life in modern Britain as they could be.

Strengths

• Welcoming, happy and values-driven school with nurturing relationships and mutual respect.
• Ambitious for all pupils; pupils enjoy learning and achieve well.
• Reading is prioritised, with early phonics and effective extra support.
• Reading books match recently taught sounds, helping pupils become confident and fluent readers.
• Strong mathematics teaching develops vocabulary, fluency, reasoning and problem solving.
• Broad and balanced curriculum is well designed overall.
• Swift identification and high-quality support for pupils with SEND.
• Carefully planned enrichment experiences broaden pupils' knowledge and safety awareness.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• Governance is a particular strength, with close strategic oversight.
• Staff value collaboration across the federation and feel workload and wellbeing are considered.
• Parents are positive about the school's work.

Areas for Improvement

• In a few wider-curriculum subjects, important knowledge is not identified clearly enough.
• This has led to gaps and misconceptions in pupils' learning that are not systematically addressed.
• Checks on pupils' learning do not consistently identify and act on gaps or misconceptions quickly.
• Pupils' knowledge of individual liberty, democracy and tolerance is not secure.
• Pupils cannot explain some important values or relate them to their everyday lives.
• Pupils are not as prepared for some aspects of life in modern Britain as they 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 Fulstow Church of England Primary School attended 91.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 29.6% 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 Fulstow 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 Fulstow Church of England Primary School had 7.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 75.9% 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, 10.0% of pupils at Fulstow Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.7% 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 Fulstow Church of England Primary School received £13,181 and spent £16,249 for each of its 30 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £38,000 (-£1,254 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 Fulstow Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Fulstow Church of England Primary School is Good, from an inspection in May 2025.

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

Fulstow Church of England Primary School was last inspected in May 2025.

How many pupils does Fulstow Church of England Primary School have?

Fulstow Church of England Primary School has 30 pupils on roll.

What age range does Fulstow Church of England Primary School cover?

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

Where is Fulstow Church of England Primary School?

Fulstow Church of England Primary School is at Churchthorpe, Fulstow, Louth, LN11 0XL.