Ashton Primary School

Ashton Primary School has considerable strengths in its safeguarding, behaviour, inclusion, personal development and early years provision. Safeguarding standards are met, and pupils feel safe, respected and included. Attendance is close to the national average, pupils behave well, and staff support pupils with SEND and other barriers effectively. The early years curriculum is ambitious and reading is a clear priority. However, pupils’ achievement is not yet secure across the school. In some subjects and year groups, progress is variable because prior learning is not secure, and tasks are sometimes too easy or too difficult. Published outcomes at the end of key stage 2 are below national averages in reading, writing and mathematics, and Year 1 phonics outcomes are also below national. The curriculum redesign is at an early stage in some subjects, and teachers’ assessment checks are not consistently effective, so gaps persist. Contextually, the school has a higher-than-average proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals, and disadvantaged pupils’ combined outcomes remain below national averages, although the support they receive generally helps them learn. The current headteacher took up post in September 2025, and almost all governors are new since the previous inspection. Leaders have an accurate understanding of what needs to improve and are taking the right actions, but governors do not yet quality assure the school’s work well enough, particularly the impact on pupils with SEND and those known to social care.

Strengths

• An open safeguarding culture is in place, and all safeguarding standards are met.
• Pupils feel safe, respected and free from bullying; staff manage behaviour consistently.
• Attendance is similar to the national average, and leaders act on absence patterns.
• Early years provision is ambitious, with a strong focus on language and reading.
• Pupils with SEND and other barriers to learning receive effective, tailored support.
• Personal development is effective, building responsibility, British values and healthy relationship skills.
• Pupils enjoy a wide range of clubs, trips and community activities, including targeted opportunities for disadvantaged pupils.
• Leaders have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and are taking the right improvement actions.
• Staff are well trained to adapt teaching for pupils with SEND, and questioning and modelling are used well.
• Parents are engaged well and supported to help children’s learning at home.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils make variable progress in some subjects and year groups because prior learning is not secure.
• Published outcomes at the end of key stage 2 are below national averages in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Year 1 phonics screening outcomes are below the national average.
• The curriculum is not yet designed well enough to secure key knowledge, and redesign is at an early stage in some subjects.
• Teachers’ checks on pupils’ knowledge are inconsistent, so gaps in learning are not reliably identified or addressed.
• Some older pupils have persistent gaps in learning that hinder their academic achievement.
• Governors have not quality assured all aspects of the school’s work well enough, particularly the impact on pupils with SEND and those known to social care.
• Disadvantaged pupils’ combined outcomes remain below national averages, although support generally helps them learn.

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 Ashton Primary School attended 94.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 17.1% 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, 0.5% of pupils at Ashton 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 Ashton Primary School had 21.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 23.3% 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, 18.6% of pupils at Ashton Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 7.2% 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 Ashton Primary School received £8,477 and spent £8,757 for each of its 194 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £120,000 (£616 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).

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

What is Ashton Primary School's Ofsted rating?

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

When was Ashton Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Ashton Primary School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Ashton Primary School have?

Ashton Primary School has 194 pupils on roll.

What age range does Ashton Primary School cover?

Ashton Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 45% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Ashton Primary School?

Ashton Primary School is at Ainsdale Drive, Ashton-on-Ribble, Preston, Lancashire, PR2 1TU.