School Chooser

Slyne-with-Hest, St Luke's, Church of England Primary School

Primary · ages 4-11MixedChurch of England201 pupilsLancasterLancashire
School Chooser Score
80
Above
similar schools
Likely range 61 to 90
Out of 100. Better than 78% of the 50 schools most like it. Getting better year on year.
OfstedStrong teachingOfsted report card, March 2026
Reached the expected level at 1174%England 63%
Attendance96.2%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families8%Far fewer than most schools
Parents would recommend96%46 Parent View responses
Places38 spare201 pupils, 239 places

Slyne-with-Hest, St Luke's, Church of England Primary School is a Church of England school (voluntary aided) in Lancaster for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 201 pupils and room for 239. About 8 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 80 out of 100. That puts it above schools like it, ahead of 78% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted visited in March 2026 and gave it a report card, which is below.

Shady Lane, Slyne-with-Hest, Slyne-With-Hest St Luke's Ceps, Lancaster, LA2 6JL01524 823505slyne-with-hest.lancs.sch.ukMr Paul Bowden headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted visited on 24 March 2026. Instead of one overall word, it now gives a grade for each part of school life. Read the full report on Ofsted's website.

TeachingOfsted calls this “curriculum and teaching”
Strong
Achievement
Strong
Behaviour and attendanceOfsted calls this “attendance and behaviour”
Strong
Support for every childOfsted calls this “inclusion”
Strong
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development and wellbeing”
As expected
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and governance”
As expected
Early years
Strong
SafeguardingAre pupils kept safe?
Pupils are kept safe
Met
Ofsted's scale:ExceptionalStrong standardExpected standardNeeds attentionUrgent improvement

Ofsted says these new grades can't be lined up against the old one-word grades.

Earlier inspections (1)
DateTypeOutcome
12 January 2022UngradedSchool remains Good

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

27 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1174%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level7%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score107.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score107.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 66%66%20172018: 63%63%20182019: 93%93%20192023: 59%59%20232024: 70%70%20242025: 74%74%2025
Since 2017: +8%Improving overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017LancashireEngland
Pupils tested274027303535
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths74%70%59%93%63%66%61%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths7%15%4%23%17%9%8%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score107.0108.0106.0109.0106.0102.0105.2105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score107.0104.0104.0108.0104.0103.0104.2104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score108.0108.0104.0109.0104.0105.0104.9105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard85%78%81%93%74%69%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard85%73%74%97%74%74%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)81%85%78%93%83%77%
Reading progressReading progress score+0.3+0.8+1.0-2.7
Maths progressMaths progress score-0.3-0.5-0.4-1.6
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged0%56%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged88%69%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. None of the gaps is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
79%69%
Gap 10 ptsEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published. As a Church of England school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

Nearly full200 pupils for 210 places, 2024/25
95% full

Fewer than one place in twenty is empty, so in most years more families apply than there are places. Living close by, or already having a child here, makes a real difference. Pupil numbers have fallen by 10% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Lancashire council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

What parents say

Would recommend the school96%England 87%
My child is happy here98%agree or strongly agree
My child feels safe94%
Positive overall96%
My child is happy at this school
98%England 89%
My child feels safe at this school
94%England 90%
Pupils are well behavedThe school makes sure its pupils are well behaved
98%England 83%
Has your child been bullied here?Parents answering yes
7% yesEngland 18%
Bullying was dealt with quickly and effectivelyOnly parents whose child was bullied
33%England 50%
My child gets the right support to learn well
96%England 85%
Does your child have SEND?Parents answering yes
13% yesEngland 26%
The school gives them the support they needOnly parents of children with SEND
67%England 71%
The school communicates well with me
85%England 80%
My concerns have been dealt with properlyWhen I have raised concerns
72%England 69%
Decisions put the child's best interests first
89%England 82%
I would recommend this school
96%England 87%
Overall view of the school is positive
96%England 82%
Strongly agreeAgreeDon't knowDisagreeStrongly disagreeEngland, agree or yes

From Ofsted's Parent View survey: 46 parents answered in the year to 6 April 2026. Parents choose whether to fill it in, and many only do so when an inspection is coming, so don't read too much into small differences. The England figures are the average for primary schools with enough answers to publish.

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll201Census January 2026
Places23984% full
Pupils from low-income families8%8% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English6%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support10%21 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan3%5 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)8%£24,800 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls91 / 110
White British pupils93%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Specific learning difficulty (14), language and communications needs (8), Autistic spectrum disorder (2), emotional and mental health (2).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll201201219218221230
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals8%5%6%8%7%7%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language6%4%4%4%2%2%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support10%9%9%10%8%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans3%2%1%2%2%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 96.2% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance96.2%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school6.1%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.0%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence3.8%4.8%5.3%4.0%2.7%3.1%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence2.8%3.0%3.3%3.2%2.5%2.3%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.0%1.8%2.0%0.8%0.2%0.7%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence6.1%5.7%8.4%7.7%2.5%4.7%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.00.00.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers8.9full-time equivalent, 10 people
Pupils per teacher22.5Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants5.4full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£51,542
Teachers who left in the year10%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher3.02024/25

Money

From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£6,832England £7,738. Total £1.4m
Income per pupil£6,873England £7,697. Total £1.4m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,355England £3,480
Money in reserve4%Not much put by: £51k, £252 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out+£8,123it took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£6,832spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m7112 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate35 per 1,000 people61% lower than the England average
Typical house price£200,000Lancaster
Nearest bus stop50 mSt Lukes CEPS, 14 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Skerton St Luke's Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England1.5 miles188Good 202216Compare
Bolton-le-Sands Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England1.5 miles290Good 202254Compare
Great Wood Primary SchoolCouncil1.5 miles406Good 202279Compare
Morecambe and Heysham Torrisholme Community Primary SchoolCouncil1.5 miles413No overall grade 202571Compare
Lancaster Ryelands Primary SchoolCouncil1.8 miles362Report card 202643Compare
St Josephs Catholic Primary School, LancasterAcademy1.8 miles144Requires improvement 20242Compare
St Wilfrid's Cof E Primary SchoolChurch of England2.0 miles225No overall grade 202453Compare
Morecambe and Heysham Grosvenor Park Primary SchoolCouncil2.0 miles320Good 202359Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Slyne-with-Hest, St Luke's, Church of England Primary School with the 49 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 49 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats78%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the top quarter of its group. Its score of 80 is 9 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 1 · middle 71 · highest 100100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 80 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 80% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 61 to 90. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years25%above
+0.10
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 27 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%above
+0.10
Ofsted report card, 0.5 years old
Progress pupils make20%in line
-0.02
DfE progress measure; 27 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%above
+0.08
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%above
+0.09
2024/25; 180 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%in line
+0.02
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 27 pupils
What parents say5%above
+0.03
Ofsted's Parent View survey, allowing for how many parents replied; 46 responses

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Slyne-with-Hest, St Luke's, Church of England Primary School a good school?

Yes, going by the figures. Slyne-with-Hest, St Luke's, Church of England Primary School scores 80 out of 100. That is above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 78% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 61 to 90, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been getting better over the last five years.

What is Slyne-with-Hest, St Luke's, Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted no longer gives schools one overall grade. When it visited on 24 March 2026 it rated teaching as strong, achievement as strong, behaviour and attendance as strong, leadership as as expected.

How good are Slyne-with-Hest, St Luke's, Church of England Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 74% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 7% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Slyne-with-Hest, St Luke's, Church of England Primary School have?

201 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 239 places, so it is 84% full.

Is Slyne-with-Hest, St Luke's, Church of England Primary School oversubscribed?

Often. Fewer than one place in twenty was empty in 2024/25, so popular year groups fill up.

What is attendance like at Slyne-with-Hest, St Luke's, Church of England Primary School?

Pupils were in school 96.2% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 6% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

What do parents say about Slyne-with-Hest, St Luke's, Church of England Primary School?

96% of the 46 parents who answered Ofsted's Parent View survey would recommend it to other parents, and 98% say their child is happy there. Across England, 87% of parents would recommend their child's school.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Shady Lane, Slyne-with-Hest, Slyne-With-Hest St Luke's Ceps, Lancaster, LA2 6JL
Telephone
01524 823505
Website
www.slyne-with-hest.lancs.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mr Paul Bowden
Type of school
Church of England school (voluntary aided) (Voluntary aided school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England, Diocese of Blackburn
Local authority
Lancashire
Ward
Bolton & Slyne
Constituency
Morecambe and Lunesdale
Setting
Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
URN
119542 · LAESTAB 8883543 · UKPRN 10080228

Where these figures come from