Melling St Wilfrid Church of England Primary School

About Melling St Wilfrid Church of England Primary School

Melling St Wilfrid Church of England Primary School is a small village primary in Lancaster that produces academic results significantly below the Lancashire average for its school type. In its most recent Key Stage 2 assessments, just 29% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a local authority average of 60%. That gap is substantial, and it places the school in the bottom 50 nationally for this metric. Within Lancaster, it ranks 43rd out of 46 primary schools, and across the North West it sits in the 96th percentile for low performance. The school’s individual subject scores tell a similar story: 57% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, 43% in maths and 43% in writing, with no pupils reaching the higher standard in any of the three subjects. For families prioritising strong academic outcomes, these figures are a clear concern.

The school’s most recent graded Ofsted inspection rated it Good overall, with Good for leadership and management. A subsequent ungraded inspection confirmed that the school remains Good, though the report did not publish separate grades for quality of education, behaviour or personal development. The previous inspection also rated the school Good, so the overall rating has been stable across three inspections. However, the academic data suggests that the school may be struggling to maintain the standards implied by that rating. With only 23 pupils on roll and a capacity of 56, the school is operating at less than half its capacity, which may affect the breadth of curriculum and peer learning opportunities available to children.

Melling St Wilfrid is a Church of England school with a strong set of facilities for its size, including an ICT suite, sports hall, playing fields, art studios and a chapel. It offers a range of sports such as football, cricket and swimming, plus clubs including chess, coding and film club. The school provides support for pupils with moderate learning difficulties and speech, language and communication needs. Admissions show the school is oversubscribed, with 18 applications for 6 places and 7 first-preference applications, giving a ratio of 3 applications per place. This suggests a loyal local following despite the academic results. The school is best suited to families who value a small, church-affiliated setting with good facilities and a broad extracurricular offer, and who are comfortable that academic outcomes are currently well below the local average.

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