St John Southworth RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy
Lomeshaye Road, Nelson, BB9 0DQOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)
St John Southworth RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy is a primary school in Nelson for ages 5 to 11. It is one of the 692 schools in Lancashire. It ranks 15th of 16 primary schools in Nelson. Its latest Ofsted outcome is a report card, from an inspection in April 2026.
Ofsted report card
Inspected 21 April 2026, report published 6 July 2026
Each area is graded from urgent improvement to exceptional, and safeguarding is either met or not met.
- Inclusion
- Expected standard
- Curriculum and teaching
- Needs attention
- Achievement
- Needs attention
- Attendance and behaviour
- Expected standard
- Personal development and wellbeing
- Expected standard
- Leadership and governance
- Expected standard
- Early years
- Expected standard
- Safeguarding
- Met
What Ofsted said
From the inspection on 21 April 2026
Pupils enjoy attending this friendly school and describe St John Southworth as a family. Pupils build warm relationships with staff. Children in the early years quickly settle into school. They grow in confidence. Pupils who are new to the country are warmly welcomed by staff and pupils. Pupils have trusted adults they can talk to if they have a worry. Bullying incidents are rare. Pupils say this is because they trust that caring staff will sort out any of their concerns quickly and effectively. Pupils feel happy and safe. They attend school regularly. Pupils enjoy their learning. In lessons, they listen attentively to their teachers. Children in the early years happily follow the school rules as soon as they begin school. Pupils behave well. They understand and demonstrate the school’s values of ‘faith, love, justice, honesty and kindness’. Pupils value the opportunities to learn beyond the classroom. For example, pupils enjoy learning more about animals' habitats through pond dipping activities in school. Pupils benefit from the wide range of trips and visitors on offer. They spoke animatedly about a recent residential visit. Pupils enjoy helping others. For example, many pupils remember taking part in a sponsored 'bunny hop' to raise money for their local hospice. However, despite improvements to the curriculum, some pupils struggle to master skills in reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils can talk about their learning in other subjects but they sometimes struggle to use subject-specific vocabulary. This means that some pupils are not as well prepared for the next stage of their education as they should be.
What the school should improve
- Leaders should ensure that staff deliver the curriculum consistently well, particularly in reading, writing and mathematics, in order to build on current developments to improve the quality of pupils' learning.
- Leaders should ensure that any knowledge and skills gaps in pupils' reading, writing and mathematics are rapidly addressed to enable pupils to achieve well.
- Leaders should ensure that staff check pupils' understanding consistently and regularly, in order to help pupils to deepen their knowledge across all subjects.
Exam results
SATs results (key stage 2), 2024/25
33 pupils took the tests
Pupil numbers and mix
209 pupils on roll, with places for 210
Schools near St John Southworth RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy
| School | Distance | Ofsted | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marsden Community Primary School | 0.2 miles | Ofsted: Good | 65% met the expected standard |
| Whitefield Infant School and Nursery | 0.3 miles | Ofsted judgements: Outstanding | Not published |
| Nelson St Paul's Church of England Primary School | 0.3 miles | Ofsted: Good | 58% met the expected standard |
| Lomeshaye Junior School | 0.4 miles | Ofsted: Good | 80% met the expected standard |
| Al-Ikhlaas Primary School | 0.4 miles | No Ofsted inspection | Not published |
School details
- School type
- Academy converter
- Sector
- Academy
- Trust
- ROMERO CATHOLIC ACADEMY TRUST
- Age range
- 5 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Nursery classes
- No
- Headteacher
- Miss Jemma Stuttard
- Phone
- 01282613906
- Address
- Lomeshaye Road, Nelson, BB9 0DQ
- Local authority
- Lancashire
- URN
- 149849
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.