Banks St Stephen's CofE School
Greaves Hall Avenue, Banks, Southport, PR9 8BL
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mr Gareth Allen
- Diocese
- Diocese of Liverpool
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Southport
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 200
- Pupils on roll
- 199
- URN
- 119384
- Local authority
- Lancashire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01704225332
About this school
Banks St Stephen's CofE School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Southport. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 199 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Banks St Stephen's CofE School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted no longer gives schools a single overall grade. Each area of the school's work is graded on a five-point scale, and safeguarding is judged separately.
- Inclusion
- Expected standard
- Curriculum and teaching
- Expected standard
- Achievement
- Needs attention
- Attendance and behaviour
- Needs attention
- Personal development and wellbeing
- Expected standard
- Leadership and governance
- Expected standard
- Early years
- Expected standard
- Safeguarding
- Met
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 17 | 24 | 29 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 65% | 67% | 55% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 13% | 3% |
| Expected standard in reading | 65% | 79% | 66% |
| Expected standard in maths | 65% | 75% | 72% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 71% | 50% | 66% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 101.0 | 106.0 | 103.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 100.0 | 105.0 | 103.0 |
| Reading progress | -4.70 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -1.80 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -4.40 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Banks St Stephen's CofE School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Lancashire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 65% | 58.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 67% | 58.3% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 55% | 58.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 9.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 169 |
| 2023/24 | 186 |
| 2024/25 | 189 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Banks St Stephen's CofE School compares
Banks St Stephen's CofE School ranked 302nd of 445 primary schools in Lancashire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 30% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 27% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 55% | 6.9% | 30.2% | 199 | — |
| Banks Methodist School | 43% | 7.4% | 38.3% | 52 | 0.5 miles |
| St John's Church of England Primary School | 62% | 5% | 31.3% | 158 | 1.2 miles |
| Tarleton Mere Brow Church of England Primary School | 67% | 6.2% | 10.5% | 69 | 1.5 miles |
| Larkfield Primary School | 56% | 5.6% | 22.6% | 256 | 1.9 miles |
| Churchtown Primary School | 55% | 4.6% | 15.1% | 660 | 2.0 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
Inspection history
-
Graded inspection report6 January 2026
- 14 September 2021
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 30.18%
- English as an additional language
- 6.9%
- Overall absence
- 6.88%
- Persistent absence
- 20.63%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Banks Methodist School0.5 miles
Primary · Southport
-
St John's Church of England Primary School1.2 miles
Primary · Southport
-
Tarleton Mere Brow Church of England Primary School1.5 miles
Primary · Preston
-
Larkfield Primary School1.9 miles
Primary · Southport
-
Churchtown Primary School2.0 miles
Primary · Southport
Other schools in Southport
Banks St Stephen's CofE School ranks 13th of the 19 ranked primary schools in Southport.
- Ainsdale St John's Church of England Primary School Primary
- Banks Methodist School Primary
- Birkdale Primary School Primary
- Bishop David Sheppard Church of England Primary School Primary
- Churchtown Primary School Primary
- Farnborough Road Infant School Primary
- Farnborough Road Junior School Primary
- Holy Family Catholic Primary School Primary
- Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School, Southport Primary
- Kew Woods Primary School Primary
- Kings Meadow Primary School and Early Years Education Centre Primary
- Larkfield Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Banks St Stephen's CofE School teach?
- Banks St Stephen's CofE School teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Southport.
- Who is the headteacher of Banks St Stephen's CofE School?
- The headteacher of Banks St Stephen's CofE School is Mr Gareth Allen, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Banks St Stephen's CofE School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Banks St Stephen's CofE School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Banks St Stephen's CofE School?
- Banks St Stephen's CofE School has 199 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is Banks St Stephen's CofE School full?
- Banks St Stephen's CofE School has capacity for 200 pupils and 199 on roll (100%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Banks St Stephen's CofE School a faith school?
- Yes. Banks St Stephen's CofE School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Liverpool.
- Does Banks St Stephen's CofE School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Banks St Stephen's CofE School as having nursery classes.
- How have Banks St Stephen's CofE School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 65% in 2022/23 and 55% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Banks St Stephen's CofE School compare with other schools in Lancashire?
- Banks St Stephen's CofE School ranked 302nd of 445 primary schools in Lancashire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 30% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 27% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Banks St Stephen's CofE School's absence rate?
- Banks St Stephen's CofE School's overall absence rate is 6.9% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Banks St Stephen's CofE School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Banks St Stephen's CofE School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 30 June 2026.