Rufford CofE School
Flash Lane, Rufford, Ormskirk, L40 1SN
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Sarah Cookson
- Diocese
- Diocese of Blackburn
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Southport
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 140
- Pupils on roll
- 114
- URN
- 119483
- Local authority
- Lancashire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01704821300
About this school
Rufford CofE School is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Ormskirk. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 114 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Rufford 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. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 26 March 2024, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 19 | 20 | 19 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 58% | 80% | 79% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 5% | 11% |
| Expected standard in reading | 79% | 85% | 95% |
| Expected standard in maths | 74% | 85% | 89% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 84% | 90% | 79% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 107.0 | 110.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 105.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.30 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -0.20 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +0.50 | - | - |
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 Rufford 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 | 58% | 58.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 80% | 58.3% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 79% | 58.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 2.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 139 |
| 2023/24 | 130 |
| 2024/25 | 122 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Rufford CofE School compares
Rufford CofE School ranked 55th of 445 primary schools in Lancashire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 86% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 100% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 79% | 2.6% | 4.9% | 114 | — |
| Holmeswood Methodist School | 29% | 3.8% | 2.2% | 55 | 1.9 miles |
| Mawdesley St Peter's Church of England Primary School | 100% | 2.4% | 2.7% | 70 | 2.0 miles |
| Burscough Bridge St John's Church of England Primary School | 45% | 3.8% | 13.6% | 135 | 2.3 miles |
| Burscough Village Primary School | 83% | 3.5% | 9.7% | 223 | 2.3 miles |
| Burscough Bridge Methodist School | 90% | 6.2% | 22.2% | 41 | 2.4 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.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 4.92%
- English as an additional language
- 1.6%
- Overall absence
- 2.61%
- Persistent absence
- 2.75%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Holmeswood Methodist School1.9 miles
Primary · Ormskirk
-
Mawdesley St Peter's Church of England Primary School2.0 miles
Primary · Ormskirk
-
Burscough Bridge St John's Church of England Primary School2.3 miles
Primary · Ormskirk
-
Burscough Village Primary School2.3 miles
Primary · Ormskirk
-
Burscough Bridge Methodist School2.4 miles
Primary · Ormskirk
Other schools in Ormskirk
Rufford CofE School ranks 6th of the 22 ranked primary schools in Ormskirk.
- Aughton Christ Church Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Primary
- Aughton St Michael's Church of England Primary School Primary
- Aughton Town Green Primary School Primary
- Bickerstaffe CofE Primary School and Nursery Primary
- Burscough Bridge Methodist School Primary
- Burscough Bridge St John's Church of England Primary School Primary
- Burscough Lordsgate Township Church of England Primary School Primary
- Burscough Village Primary School Primary
- Downholland-Haskayne Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School Primary
- Halsall St Cuthbert's Church of England Primary School Primary
- Holmeswood Methodist School Primary
- Mawdesley St Peter's Church of England Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Rufford CofE School teach?
- Rufford CofE School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Ormskirk.
- Who is the headteacher of Rufford CofE School?
- The headteacher of Rufford CofE School is Mrs Sarah Cookson, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Rufford CofE School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Rufford 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 Rufford CofE School?
- Rufford CofE School has 114 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Rufford CofE School full?
- Rufford CofE School has capacity for 140 pupils and 114 on roll (81%), so it has space against 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 Rufford CofE School a faith school?
- Yes. Rufford CofE School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Blackburn.
- Does Rufford CofE School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Rufford CofE School as having nursery classes.
- How have Rufford CofE School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 58% in 2022/23 and 79% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Rufford CofE School compare with other schools in Lancashire?
- Rufford CofE School ranked 55th of 445 primary schools in Lancashire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 86% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 100% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Rufford CofE School's absence rate?
- Rufford CofE School's overall absence rate is 2.6% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Rufford CofE School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Rufford 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.