Preston Grange Primary School

Preston Grange Primary School is a warm, welcoming and inclusive school where pupils feel safe, behave well and have positive relationships with staff. Safeguarding standards are met. The early years provision is a particular strength, and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are identified early and supported well. Leaders have a clear and shared view of the school's priorities, have made significant changes including a co-headship model, and have improved the curriculum and the teaching of reading. Staff are proud to work at the school, and governors provide appropriate support and challenge. However, achievement and attendance are areas that need attention. Over time, some pupils have not attained as well as they should in national tests, with reading and phonics outcomes below national averages. Pupils who join the school at different points, or who have gaps in prior learning, do not catch up quickly enough, and disadvantaged pupils have wide attainment gaps. Attendance has also fallen below national levels, particularly for pupils with SEND. Leaders have strengthened attendance procedures and curriculum changes are beginning to help current pupils, but some improvement actions are still in their early stages. The school serves a community with well above-average levels of free school meals and SEN support, and the area is highly deprived. More pupils now join at different points in their schooling. Leaders must ensure that curriculum improvements translate into better outcomes for all pupils and that attendance improves, especially for pupils with SEND.

Strengths

• Warm, welcoming and caring school culture where pupils feel safe and happy
• Pupils behave well and have positive, trusting relationships with staff and each other
• Early years provision gives children a great start, with reading prioritized from the start
• Broad and ambitious curriculum with carefully sequenced knowledge
• Improved teaching of reading is beginning to help current pupils
• Teachers have secure subject knowledge and use a consistent approach across subjects
• Pupils with SEND are identified early and receive well-matched, adapted support
• Disadvantaged pupils are supported to participate fully in school life and enrichment
• Strong personal development, including respect, British values and a wide enrichment offer
• Leadership has a clear, shared view and has made effective changes since the previous inspection
• Governors bring relevant expertise and provide appropriate support and challenge
• Attendance procedures have been strengthened and some previously poor attenders now attend more regularly
• Behaviour is calm and orderly; suspensions have reduced and there have been no permanent exclusions

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils have not attained well in national tests and checks over time
• Reading and phonics screening outcomes have been below national averages
• Pupils who join mid-year or have missed schooling do not close knowledge gaps quickly
• Some pupils have not secured the knowledge they need in reading, grammar and vocabulary
• Disadvantaged pupils' attainment gaps remain wide, especially in reading
• Teachers do not consistently use assessment to identify and address gaps in pupils' knowledge
• Some teachers do not consistently choose activities that build detailed knowledge across subjects
• Attendance has fallen below national levels, and pupils with SEND are absent more often than their peers
• Some improvement actions, including attendance and curriculum changes, are in their early stages

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Preston Grange Primary School attended 93.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 15.3% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 3.2% of pupils at Preston Grange Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Preston Grange Primary School had 20.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 18.4% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 31.1% of pupils at Preston Grange Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.5% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Preston Grange Primary School received £8,778 and spent £9,155 for each of its 183 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £97,000 (£532 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Preston · Lancashire local authority: places and applications

What is Preston Grange Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Preston Grange Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Preston Grange Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Preston Grange Primary School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Preston Grange Primary School have?

Preston Grange Primary School has 183 pupils on roll.

What age range does Preston Grange Primary School cover?

Preston Grange Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Preston Grange Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 48% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Preston Grange Primary School?

Preston Grange Primary School is at Grange Avenue, Ribbleton, Preston, Lancashire, PR2 6PS.