St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Claughton-on-Brock

St Mary’s Catholic Primary School is a small, welcoming school where pupils are happy, polite and behave exceptionally well. Inspectors found a calm, harmonious environment, high expectations for all pupils including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and exceptionally strong personal development. Pupils take on responsibilities, support charities and contribute meaningfully to school life. The curriculum is well organised in most subjects and reading is central to the school’s work. Staff support early readers and pupils with SEND effectively, attendance is high, safeguarding is effective, and governors provide useful support and challenge. Staff also value the support they receive to manage workload. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and its first section 5 inspection since 2012; under current arrangements it has not been given an overall effectiveness grade. However, in a small number of subjects, including some areas of early years learning, the essential knowledge and the order in which it should be taught are not clear enough. This sometimes limits the depth of pupils’ learning. Monitoring and evaluation of curriculum delivery are also not used consistently well in a small number of subjects, so weaknesses are not always identified or addressed promptly and the curriculum is not always delivered as intended.

Strengths

• Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary and lessons are calm and free from disruption.
• Personal development provision is exemplary and prepares pupils well for future life.
• Pupils are happy, polite and kind, and enjoy coming to school.
• The curriculum is well organised in most subjects and builds knowledge logically.
• Reading is central to the curriculum and most pupils become fluent, accurate readers.
• Pupils with SEND are identified quickly, supported effectively and usually achieve well.
• Attendance is high and the school is proactive when attendance dips.
• Early years children develop strong learning behaviours and are well prepared for key stage 1.
• Governors provide effective support and challenge and are committed to pupils’ success.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• In a small number of subjects, essential knowledge and sequencing are not clear enough, limiting depth of learning.
• Some early years areas lack sufficient curriculum thinking about what children must learn and in what order.
• Monitoring and evaluation of curriculum delivery are not consistently effective in a small number of subjects.
• Some curriculum weaknesses are not identified or addressed quickly enough, so the curriculum is not always delivered as intended.
• Pupils’ learning is occasionally hindered where curriculum delivery and evaluation are weaker.

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 Mary's Catholic Primary School, Claughton-on-Brock attended 95.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 7.9% 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 St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Claughton-on-Brock 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 Mary's Catholic Primary School, Claughton-on-Brock had 15.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 6.4% of pupils at St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Claughton-on-Brock were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.0% 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 Mary's Catholic Primary School, Claughton-on-Brock received £10,300 and spent £10,988 for each of its 47 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £10,000 (-£222 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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• Secondary Schools

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

What is St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Claughton-on-Brock's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Claughton-on-Brock is Good, from an inspection in February 2025.

When was St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Claughton-on-Brock last inspected by Ofsted?

St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Claughton-on-Brock was last inspected in February 2025.

How many pupils does St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Claughton-on-Brock have?

St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Claughton-on-Brock has 47 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Claughton-on-Brock cover?

St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Claughton-on-Brock for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Claughton-on-Brock's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 86% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Claughton-on-Brock?

St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Claughton-on-Brock is at Smithy Lane, Claughton-on-Brock, Preston, Lancashire, PR3 0PN.