St John's Catholic Primary School, Burscough
Chapel Lane, Lathom, Burscough, L40 7RAOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)
St John's Catholic Primary School, Burscough is a primary school in Burscough for ages 4 to 11. It is one of the 692 schools in Lancashire. It ranks 159th of 444 primary schools in Lancashire. Its latest Ofsted rating is Good, from an inspection in February 2023.
Ofsted inspection
Inspected 2 February 2023, report published 20 March 2023
- Overall effectiveness
- Good
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years provision
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Met
What Ofsted said
From the inspection on 2 February 2023
Pupils love coming to school, where they are happy and safe. They are highly respectful towards each other and staff and are welcoming towards visitors. Pupils are confident that they can talk to any member of staff if they have concerns. They understand that treating someone differently because of where they are from, or what they believe in, is wrong. If bullying occurs, leaders and staff deal with it quickly and effectively. Leaders and staff expect pupils, and children in the early years, to behave well and to achieve highly. This helps to ensure that pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), perform well in different areas of the curriculum. Pupils benefit from the many opportunities that they have to explore the natural world. They enjoy bird watching, participating in archaeological digs and carrying out small mammal surveys with local conservationists. Pupils like to support their community. Recently, they created flowerbeds for Burscough Railway Station. Leaders enhance the curriculum. Pupils look forward to visiting local places of interest, including a wild bird sanctuary, an observatory and an art gallery. They also enjoy visits to museums. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 benefit from their annual residential learning in Todmorden.
What the school should improve
- In some subjects, teachers do not routinely revisit and reinforce pupils' previous learning. As a result, they do not spot when pupils do not remember key information. Leaders should ensure that teachers regularly check how well pupils are learning the curriculum in all subjects. This will help teachers to establish what pupils know and can remember and if they need to resolve any misconceptions.
- A few subject leaders are developing their expertise. This restricts the quality of the support that they offer to other teachers in how to deliver the curriculum. Senior leaders should ensure that subject leaders have the help that they need to develop their skills. This will improve the quality of the support that subject leaders give to teachers in these areas of the curriculum.
Exam results
SATs results (key stage 2), 2024/25
12 pupils took the tests
Pupil numbers and mix
94 pupils on roll, with places for 175
Schools near St John's Catholic Primary School, Burscough
| School | Distance | Ofsted | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burscough Lordsgate Township Church of England Primary School | 0.4 miles | Ofsted: Good | 63% met the expected standard |
| Burscough Village Primary School | 0.8 miles | Ofsted: Good | 83% met the expected standard |
| Burscough Bridge Methodist School | 0.8 miles | Report card: Expected standard to strong standard | 90% met the expected standard |
| Burscough Bridge St John's Church of England Primary School | 0.9 miles | Ofsted: Good | 45% met the expected standard |
| Ormskirk Lathom Park Church of England Primary School | 0.9 miles | Report card: Needs attention to expected standard | 50% met the expected standard |
School details
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Sector
- Local authority maintained
- Age range
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Nursery classes
- Yes
- Headteacher
- Miss Claire Smith
- Phone
- 01704893523
- Address
- Chapel Lane, Lathom, Burscough, L40 7RA
- Local authority
- Lancashire
- URN
- 119681
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.