School Chooser

Stepping Stones School

Pupil referral unit / alternative provision · ages 5-11MixedPupil referral unit22 pupilsLancasterLancashire
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
Pupils from low-income families96%Far more than most schools
Pupils per teacher4.0School workforce census
Pupils on roll22Census January 2026

Stepping Stones School is a pupil referral unit in Lancaster for boys and girls aged 5 to 11. It has 22 pupils. About 96 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England.

Bowerham Road, Lancaster, LA1 4HT0152467164steppingstones.lancs.sch.ukMr Michael Hooper headteacherAll details

Ofsted

Ofsted hasn't published an inspection for this school yet.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

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.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll22Census January 2026
Pupils from low-income families96%96% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English0%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support64%14 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan36%8 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)82%£27,900 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls19 / 3
White British pupils100%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (22).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll222415161213
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals96%83%73%94%75%77%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language0%0%0%0%8%8%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support–50%47%31%8%23%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans–50%53%63%92%77%

Staff and money

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

Teachers7.0full-time equivalent, 7 people
Pupils per teacher4.0Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers86%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants7.1full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£53,670
Teachers who left in the year9%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher0.22024/25

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£28,403England £7,738. Total £966k
Income per pupil£27,440England £7,697. Total £933k
Spent on teachers per pupil£14,033England £3,480
Money in reserve6%Not much put by: £53k, £1,561 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out-£33kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£28,403spent 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 m6412 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate50 per 1,000 people45% lower than the England average
Typical house price£200,000Lancaster
Nearest bus stop80 mMoorside School, 18 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 schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Moorside Primary SchoolCouncil0 m570Good 202383Compare
St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, LancasterRoman Catholic110 m207Outstanding 202498Compare
Scotforth St Paul's Church of England Primary and Nursery SchoolChurch of England660 m220Good 202369Compare
Bowerham Primary & Nursery SchoolCouncil0.6 miles498Report card 202652Compare
Jamea Al KautharIndependent0.7 miles261Not inspected–Compare
Ripley St Thomas Church of England AcademyAcademy0.9 miles1,755Outstanding 202287Compare
The Cathedral Catholic Primary School, LancasterRoman Catholic1.0 miles195Not inspected70Compare
Lancaster Royal Grammar SchoolAcademy (grammar)1.0 miles1,294Good 202194Compare
All schools in LancashireAll schools in LancasterBest primary schools in England

Questions parents ask

Is Stepping Stones School a good school?

We don't have enough published data to score Stepping Stones School yet.

How many pupils does Stepping Stones School have?

22 pupils aged 5 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026.

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

Contact and details

Address
Bowerham Road, Lancaster, LA1 4HT
Telephone
0152467164
Website
www.steppingstones.lancs.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mr Michael Hooper
Type of school
Pupil referral unit (Pupil referral unit, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Pupil referral unit / alternative provision, ages 5-11
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Lancashire
Ward
Bowerham
Constituency
Lancaster and Wyre
Setting
Urban: Further from a major town or city
URN
119103 · LAESTAB 8881100 · UKPRN 10077069
Official recordGovernment performance tablesDownload this school's data (CSV)

Where these figures come from