Little Digmoor Primary School

About Little Digmoor Primary School

Little Digmoor Primary School in West Lancashire received a Requires Improvement rating from Ofsted following its graded inspection in October 2024, a downgrade from the Good rating it held in its previous inspection in 2016. The most telling academic metric is the Key Stage 2 combined expected standard in reading, writing and maths: just 13% of pupils achieved this benchmark in the 2023/24 academic year, compared with a Lancashire local authority average of 60%. This places the school 47th out of 48 primary schools in West Lancashire and in the bottom 1% nationally. Broken down, 60% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, 40% in maths, but only 13% in writing. No pupils achieved the higher standard in reading, writing and maths combined, and just 7% did so in maths individually. The school’s average maths scaled score was 99, while reading averaged 104.

Ofsted’s breakdown reflects these challenges. Leadership and management, quality of education, and early years provision were all rated Requires Improvement, while behaviour and attitudes and personal development were judged Good. The school has 153 pupils on roll, well below its capacity of 200, and a high proportion — 61.4% — are eligible for free school meals, which is significantly above the national average. The headteacher is Karen Houldsworth. The school does not have a sixth form but does offer nursery provision for children aged three and above. Its most recent inspection report, published in November 2024, is available online.

For families considering Little Digmoor, the practical picture is mixed. The school is oversubscribed for Reception places in 2025/26, with 34 applications for 9 places and all 9 first-preference offers taken up, giving an oversubscription ratio of 3.78. Facilities include a sports hall, music rooms, a sensory room, playing fields, an outdoor playground, a forest school and a chapel. Sports offered include cross country, swimming, cricket, gymnastics, athletics and netball, and clubs include eco club, choir and gardening. The school lists a wide range of SEND provisions, covering specific learning difficulties, moderate to severe learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language difficulties, hearing impairment, physical disability and autistic spectrum disorder. This breadth of support, combined with the small school size, may suit families whose children need additional help, though the academic outcomes suggest the school is still working to raise attainment across the board.

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