SCHOOL PROFILE

Higher Walton Church of England Primary School

Primary Voluntary controlled school URN 119393
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 119 Published school capacity
Capacity used 68.1% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 3 – 11 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest inspection

6 May 2026
Latest published outcome Met
Renewed framework
Safeguarding Met
Inclusion Expected standard
Curriculum & teaching Expected standard
Achievement Needs attention
Attendance & behaviour Needs attention
Personal development Expected standard
Leadership & governance Expected standard
INSPECTION HISTORY

Previous Ofsted activity

1 November 2023
Graded inspection Requires improvement
Published 7 December 2023
8 June 2022
Ungraded inspection School remains Good (Concerns) - S5 Next
Published 21 July 2022
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Voluntary controlled school
Phase Primary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Church of England
Local authority Lancashire
Trust Not applicable
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 81 79 full-time · 2 part-time
Female pupils 44 54.3% of pupils
Male pupils 37 45.7% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

34.6%
9.8 pts above England
School 34.6%
South Ribble 20.3%
North West 28.5%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

1.2%
19.1 pts below England
School 1.2%
South Ribble 6.5%
North West 18.1%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

4.9%
3.9 pts above England
School 4.9%
South Ribble 0.4%
North West 0.8%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
95.1%
77
Indian
1.2%
1
White and Asian
1.2%
1
White and Black African
1.2%
1
White and Black Caribbean
1.2%
1
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 24.7% 20 of 81 pupils
3.9 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 24.7%
South Ribble 18.2%
North West 22.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 22.2% 18 pupils
England 14.8% 7.4 pts above
EHC plans 2.5% 2 pupils
England 6.0% 3.6 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder 5
Speech, language & communication 5
Social, emotional & mental health 4
Specific learning difficulty 4
Physical disability 2

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 2 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading, writing & maths

59.0% 1.4 pts below England
School 59.0%
South Ribble 60.0%
North West 59.1%
England 60.4%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading

82.0%

8.2 pts above England

School 82.0%
South Ribble 74.2%
North West 73.2%
England 73.8%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Writing

59.0%

11.3 pts below England

School 59.0%
South Ribble 68.5%
North West 69.2%
England 70.3%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Maths

71.0%

1.0 pts below England

School 71.0%
South Ribble 74.0%
North West 71.7%
England 72.0%
School results show the percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard. Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages and are not pupil-weighted official attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

6.84%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

0.62 pts higher than England
School 6.84%
South Ribble 5.30%
North West 6.25%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

20.00%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

4.18 pts higher than England
School 20.00%
South Ribble 12.48%
North West 15.89%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

1.18%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

0.63 pts lower than England
School 1.18%
South Ribble 1.37%
North West 1.75%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open primary schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

68.1% 20.1 pts below England
Higher Walton Church of England Primary School
68.1%
South Ribble
88.5%
North West
90.6%
England
88.2%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information