Longton Primary School

Longton Primary School is a calm, welcoming school where pupils feel privileged to belong and typically achieve well. Inspectors found the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, leadership and management, and early years provision to be good, while personal development is a standout strength. Pupils benefit from an ambitious, well-organised curriculum, strong reading and phonics provision, and effective support for pupils with SEND. They take on meaningful responsibilities and play an active part in the local community. The main areas for improvement concern consistency and depth beyond reading and mathematics. In some foundation subjects, pupils' knowledge is less secure and does not build as deeply as it could. Teachers do not always probe pupils' understanding sufficiently before introducing new content, and the school's quality-assurance systems do not identify well enough when wider-curriculum subjects need adapting. Oversight of support for older pupils who struggle with reading is variable, and behaviour policy procedures are not routinely checked to ensure all staff apply them consistently. Leaders and governors are supportive and well informed, but they can be too easily assured that pupils are learning as well as they can and that agreed procedures are being followed. This limits how sharply the school identifies its next priorities. The inspection was the school's first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and its first section 5 inspection since 2014, when it was judged outstanding and exempt from routine inspection. Under the current framework, no overall effectiveness grade was awarded.

Strengths

• Personal development is outstanding, with high-quality opportunities and pupil responsibility.
• Pupils are proud of their school and take active roles in the local community.
• Pupils behave well, are calm, and build positive relationships.
• The curriculum is ambitious and well organised from Reception to Year 6.
• Reading is central, with strong phonics teaching and high-quality texts.
• Pupils with SEND are well supported and achieve well.
• Staff understand pupils' needs and adapt teaching to reduce barriers.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• Governors provide strong professional support and access a wide range of information.
• Early years children are keen to apply their phonics knowledge.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils' knowledge lacks depth in some foundation subjects compared with reading and mathematics.
• Teachers do not always probe pupils' understanding deeply enough before moving on.
• Quality assurance does not identify well enough when wider-curriculum subjects need adapting.
• Oversight of support for older pupils struggling with reading is variable.
• Behaviour policy procedures are not routinely monitored to ensure consistent application by all staff.
• Leaders and governors can be too easily assured that pupils are learning well and procedures are followed.
• Self-evaluation does not dig deeply enough into the school's effectiveness.

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 Longton Primary School attended 97.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 3.2% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Longton 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 Longton Primary School had 25.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 11.6% 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, 8.5% of pupils at Longton Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.9% 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 Longton Primary School received £6,332 and spent £6,583 for each of its 213 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £81,000 (£379 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

Longton Primary School is part of Axia Learning Alliance, which runs 4 schools. The nearest others:

• Penwortham Broad Oak Primary School Preston
• Tarleton Community Primary School Preston
• Lostock Hall Community Primary School Preston

What is Longton Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Longton Primary School is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was Longton Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Longton Primary School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Longton Primary School have?

Longton Primary School has 213 pupils on roll.

What age range does Longton Primary School cover?

Longton Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 83% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Longton Primary School?

Longton Primary School is at School lane, Longton, Longton Primary School, Preston, Lancashire, PR4 5YA.