St John With St Michael Church of England Primary School

About St John With St Michael Church of England Primary School

St John With St Michael Church of England Primary School is a small state primary in Rossendale, part of the Lancashire local authority. Among the 480 primary schools in the county, it sits at rank 238, placing it squarely in the middle of the pack. The top-performing peers in the area — Crawford Village Primary School, New Longton All Saints CofE Primary School, and St George's Church of England Primary School in Chorley — all score higher on the ranking metric, but St John With St Michael holds its own as a Good-rated school with a distinct Church of England character. With just 115 pupils against a capacity of 119, it is a genuinely small school, and its nursery provision means children can join from age two. The school is oversubscribed for 2025/26: 30 applications for 15 places, with all 15 first-preference families receiving offers. That level of demand suggests a strong local reputation, even if the school doesn't top the league tables.

Academically, the school's most recent KS2 results from 2023/24 show 60% of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined — exactly in line with the Lancashire local authority average of 60%. Individual subject results are stronger: 90% met the expected standard in maths, 80% in writing, and 70% in reading. At the higher standard, 20% achieved it in writing, 10% in maths, and 10% in reading. Average scaled scores were 104 in both reading and maths. The school's ranking on the KS2 combined measure places it in the bottom 50% nationally, at the 57th percentile, and 48th percentile within Rossendale. Ofsted's most recent graded inspection, in 2012, rated the school Good overall, with Good leadership and management. An ungraded inspection in 2023 confirmed the school remains Good. The previous inspection in 2009 also rated overall effectiveness as Good, with early years provision at that time graded as Requires Improvement.

The school offers a solid range of facilities for its size, including a library, music rooms, a sports hall, playing fields, and a chapel. Sports provision covers rounders, cricket, football, swimming, dance, and gymnastics, while clubs extend to drama, choir, book club, coding, art club, and film club. SEND support is broad, with provisions for specific learning difficulties including dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social emotional and mental health needs, speech language and communication needs, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. With 34.2% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a community with above-average disadvantage. This is a school that will suit families looking for a small, Church of England primary with strong SEND support, a nursery from age two, and a genuinely local feel — but it is not an academic outlier, and parents prioritising top-tier results may want to look at the higher-ranked peers in the area.

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