OFSTED
27 January 2026
Latest inspection
Latest published outcome
Met
Renewed framework
Safeguarding
Met
Inclusion
Expected standard
Curriculum & teaching
Expected standard
Achievement
Expected standard
Attendance & behaviour
Expected standard
Personal development
Strong standard
Leadership & governance
Expected standard
INSPECTION HISTORY
Previous Ofsted activity
11 September 2019
Graded inspection
Good
Published
8 October 2019
SCHOOL DETAILS
About this school
School type
Academy converter
Phase
Primary
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Roman Catholic
Local authority
Lancashire
Trust
MATER ECCLESIAE CATHOLIC MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST
Census date
15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE
2025/26
School community
Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.
Total pupils
347
312 full-time ·
35 part-time
Female pupils
180
51.9% of pupils
Male pupils
167
48.1% of pupils
Free school meals
Pupils eligible for free school meals.
2.9 pts
above England
School
27.7%
Preston
25.0%
North West
28.5%
England
24.8%
English as an additional language
Pupils whose first language is not English.
26.4 pts
above England
School
46.7%
Preston
31.2%
North West
18.1%
England
20.3%
Young carers
Pupils recorded as young carers.
1.0 pts
below England
School
0.0%
Preston
0.2%
North West
0.8%
England
1.0%
Ethnicity
Largest recorded pupil groups.
White British
34.0%
118
Any other White background
17.0%
59
Indian
10.7%
37
Pakistani
10.7%
37
African
8.1%
28
Any other Mixed background
4.3%
15
Council, regional and national comparisons
are pupil-weighted using published school
census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS
2025/26
Special educational needs
Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.
Pupils with SEN
9.2%
32 of
347 pupils
11.6 pts
below England
England:
20.8%
England
14.8%
7.3 pts
below
England
6.0%
4.3 pts
below
PRIMARY NEEDS
Pupils
Most common identified needs
SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.
ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
2024/25
Key stage 2 outcomes
Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.
EXPECTED STANDARD
Reading, writing & maths
78.0%
17.6 pts
above England
EXPECTED STANDARD
80.0%
Reading
6.2 pts above England
School
80.0%
Preston
72.0%
North West
73.2%
England
73.8%
EXPECTED STANDARD
78.0%
Writing
7.7 pts above England
School
78.0%
Preston
68.0%
North West
69.2%
England
70.3%
EXPECTED STANDARD
82.0%
Maths
10.0 pts above England
School
82.0%
Preston
72.3%
North West
71.7%
England
72.0%
School results show the percentage of
pupils meeting the expected standard.
Council, regional and national
comparisons are averages of published
school-level percentages and are not
pupil-weighted official attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE
2024/25
Attendance profile
Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.
ABSENCE RATE
6.39%
Overall absence
Percentage of possible sessions missed.
0.17 pts
higher than
England
School
6.39%
Preston
6.27%
North West
6.25%
England
6.22%
ABSENCE RATE
18.98%
Persistent absence
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
3.16 pts
higher than
England
School
18.98%
Preston
15.79%
North West
15.89%
England
15.82%
ABSENCE RATE
1.82%
Severe absence
Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.
0.02 pts
higher than
England
School
1.82%
Preston
1.85%
North West
1.75%
England
1.80%
Council, regional and national
comparisons are averages of published
school-level percentages rather than
pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
School context
Comparison with open primary schools.
CAPACITY
Capacity utilisation
110.2%
22.0 pts
above England
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Preston
110.2%
Preston
88.5%
North West
90.6%
England
88.2%
Benchmarks use open schools in the
same phase. Capacity utilisation is
calculated from published pupil and
capacity figures.