St Stephen's CofE School

St Stephen’s CofE School is performing well, with an overall effectiveness rated as good. The school has created a welcoming and supportive environment where pupils feel safe and valued, fostering strong relationships between staff and students. Notably, personal development is highlighted as outstanding, reflecting the school's commitment to the holistic growth of its pupils, including their health and wellbeing. Despite some challenges with transient pupils impacting academic achievement, many current pupils achieve well, particularly in reading where it is prioritized throughout the school. The robust curriculum caters effectively to all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Strengths

• Pupils demonstrate high levels of pride and respect within the school community.
• Strong relationships between staff and pupils create a supportive atmosphere.
• The curriculum is broad and ambitious, meeting the needs of all pupils well.
• Outstanding personal development programs promote well-being and diversity.
• High-quality phonics instruction helps most pupils become confident readers.
• Effective safeguarding arrangements ensure pupils' safety.

Areas for Improvement

• Some assessment strategies in a few subjects are not effectively identifying gaps in pupils' knowledge.

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 St Stephen's CofE School attended 92.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 25.2% 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, 1.7% of pupils at St Stephen's CofE 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 St Stephen's CofE School had 18.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 6.1% 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, 12.1% of pupils at St Stephen's CofE School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.1% 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 St Stephen's CofE School received £7,991 and spent £8,134 for each of its 318 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £161,000 (£506 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 St Stephen's CofE School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Stephen's CofE School is Good, from an inspection in December 2023.

When was St Stephen's CofE School last inspected by Ofsted?

St Stephen's CofE School was last inspected in December 2023.

How many pupils does St Stephen's CofE School have?

St Stephen's CofE School has 331 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Stephen's CofE School cover?

St Stephen's CofE School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are St Stephen's CofE School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 55% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Stephen's CofE School?

St Stephen's CofE School is at South Meadow Lane, South Meadow Lane, Preston, Lancashire, PR1 8JN.