Austwick Church of England VA Primary School

  • Primary
  • Local authority maintained
  • Ages 4 to 11
Ofsted: Good

Austwick, Lancaster, LA2 8BNOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)

Austwick Church of England VA Primary School is a primary school in Lancaster for ages 4 to 11. It is one of the 376 schools in North Yorkshire. It ranks 14th of 24 primary schools in Lancaster. Its latest Ofsted rating is Good, from an inspection in May 2019.

Ofsted inspection

Inspected 8 May 2019, report published 9 June 2019

Overall effectiveness
Good
Leadership and management
Good
Early years provision
Good
Safeguarding
Met

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 19 November 2024

Pupils thrive in the family atmosphere of this small, friendly school. They learn and play happily together. Relationships are warm and caring. Pupils who join the school feel very welcome here. Older pupils look out for the younger ones. There is very little bullying. Pupils are confident that staff will listen and help them if they have any problems. The school makes good use of its beautiful surroundings to enhance the broad and interesting curriculum. This helps pupils to rise to the school's high expectations across the curriculum. Pupils take part in a wide range of outdoor activities such as caving, rock scrambling and walking. The school also makes sure that pupils learn about the world beyond the local area. Visits to cities such as Bradford give pupils first-hand experience of other faiths and cultures. Year 6 pupils have visited their Member of Parliament in the Houses of Parliament to learn more about democracy. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. Pupils enjoy their responsibilities. The school council, well-being champions, librarians and sports leaders all make a valuable contribution to school life. The school provides various sporting and creative activities for pupils to take part in after school. These change throughout the year and include sports, film club, chess club and gardening.

What the school should improve

  • Systems for checking what pupils know and remember in the foundation subjects are new. The school has not yet used the information from these checks to identify any gaps in pupils' knowledge and to adapt the curriculum to address these. The school should continue to establish these new systems and use the information they provide to ensure that pupils achieve as highly as possible in all of the foundation subjects.
  • The reading books of pupils who have secured the basics of reading are not always well matched to pupils' current level of reading. This means that pupils do not always develop their fluency and comprehension as quickly as they should. The school should ensure that the books provided for pupils to practise their reading are suitably matched to their reading level.

Exam results

SATs results (key stage 2), 2024/25

9 pupils took the tests

Expected standard in reading, writing and maths67%

67%, 5 percentage points above the England average of 62%.

Higher standard in reading, writing and maths0%

0%, 8 percentage points below the England average of 8%.

Reading, average scaled score109

109, 3 above the England average of 106.

Maths, average scaled score108

108, 3 above the England average of 105.

Grammar, punctuation and spelling, average scaled score104

104, 1 below the England average of 105.

Pupil numbers and mix

53 pupils on roll, with places for 70

Eligible for free school meals7.5%

7.5%, 19 percentage points below the England average of 26.5%.

English as an additional language0%

0%, 21.6 percentage points below the England average of 21.6%.

Special educational needs support9.4%

9.4%, 5.4 percentage points below the England average of 14.8%.

Education, health and care plan3.8%

3.8%, 2.2 percentage points below the England average of 6%.

Schools near Austwick Church of England VA Primary School

SchoolDistanceOfstedResults
Giggleswick Primary School4 milesOfsted: Good67% met the expected standard
Settle Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School4 milesOfsted: Good43% met the expected standard
Ingleton Primary School5 milesOfsted judgements: Good56% met the expected standard
Bentham Community Primary School7 milesOfsted: Good48% met the expected standard
Tatham Fells Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School8 milesOfsted: GoodNot published

School details

School type
Voluntary aided school
Sector
Local authority maintained
Age range
4 to 11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England
Nursery classes
No
Headteacher
Headteacher Beth McHardy
Address
Austwick, Lancaster, LA2 8BN
Local authority
North Yorkshire
URN
121620

School details from Get Information about Schools, 17 September 2026. Ofsted outcomes published to 31 August 2026. Exam results for 2024/25 from the Department for Education. Pupil mix from the school census, 2025/26.