Our Lady and St Edward's Catholic Primary School, Preston

Our Lady and St Edward's Catholic Primary School in Preston is performing well, with strong outcomes in several areas of education and pupil development. The school has an open culture of safeguarding, ensuring that students feel safe and secure. Leaders have an accurate understanding of the curriculum, which is ambitious and focuses on key areas like reading and communication, resulting in pupils being well-prepared for their next stages of education. The school nurtures a positive learning environment where behaviour is managed effectively, and personal development is prioritized alongside academic achievement.

Strengths

• Strong safeguarding culture ensuring pupil safety.
• Proactive approach to promoting attendance.
• Ambitious curriculum with a focus on key knowledge.
• High-quality teaching that deepens pupil understanding.
• Effective support for students with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Strong commitment to inclusion and tailored provision.
• Positive relationships between staff and pupils.

Areas for Improvement

• Need to strengthen some assessment systems, particularly in early years.

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 Our Lady and St Edward's Catholic Primary School, Preston attended 97.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 1.6% 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, 0.9% of pupils at Our Lady and St Edward's Catholic Primary School, Preston 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 Our Lady and St Edward's Catholic Primary School, Preston had 23.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 6.5% 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, 6.9% of pupils at Our Lady and St Edward's Catholic Primary School, Preston were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.2% 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 2024–25 Our Lady and St Edward's Catholic Primary School, Preston received £6,418 and spent £6,123 for each of its 218 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £98,000 (£450 per pupil).

Across all 13 schools of Mater Ecclesiae Catholic Multi-Academy Trust, income was £6,871 and spending £6,690 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

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

Our Lady and St Edward's Catholic Primary School, Preston is part of Mater Ecclesiae Catholic Multi-Academy Trust, which runs 17 schools. The nearest others:

• St Clare's Catholic Primary School, Preston Preston
• St Anthony's Catholic Primary School, Preston Preston
• Holy Family Catholic Primary School, Ingol, Preston Preston
• St Mary and St Andrew's Catholic Primary School, Barton Newsham Preston
• Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Preston Preston
• St Ignatius' Catholic Primary School, Preston Preston
• St Maria Goretti Catholic Primary School, Preston Preston
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Preston Preston
• The Blessed Sacrament Catholic Primary School, Preston Preston
• St Bernard's Catholic Primary School, Preston Preston

What is Our Lady and St Edward's Catholic Primary School, Preston's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Our Lady and St Edward's Catholic Primary School, Preston is Expected standard, from an inspection in April 2026.

When was Our Lady and St Edward's Catholic Primary School, Preston last inspected by Ofsted?

Our Lady and St Edward's Catholic Primary School, Preston was last inspected in April 2026.

How many pupils does Our Lady and St Edward's Catholic Primary School, Preston have?

Our Lady and St Edward's Catholic Primary School, Preston has 216 pupils on roll.

What age range does Our Lady and St Edward's Catholic Primary School, Preston cover?

Our Lady and St Edward's Catholic Primary School, Preston for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Our Lady and St Edward's Catholic Primary School, Preston's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 64% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Our Lady and St Edward's Catholic Primary School, Preston?

Our Lady and St Edward's Catholic Primary School, Preston is at Lightfoot Lane, Fulwood, Preston, Lancashire, PR2 3LP.