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Schools across Lancashire

Local authority · 707 schools across 66 towns

New inspection results and open days, weekly by email.

Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days

Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Lancashire (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.

Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days

Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Lancashire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.

Year 7 dates to calendar Reception dates to calendarHow to apply in Lancashire →

Schools in Lancashire (707)

Showing 20 of 707 schools

Total Schools

707

481 primary · 83 secondary

Total Pupils

183,411

92% capacity used

Ofsted Rated

179

30 outstanding · 149 good

Capacity

200,434

17,023 spare places

Ofsted Ratings

149
516
Outstanding: 30
Good: 149
Requires Improvement: 12
Not inspected: 516

Best Schools in Lancashire

View the full league table - ranked by Ofsted, Progress 8, KS2 results and more

Area Performance (2026)

Attainment 8

38.8

GCSE Eng+Maths

35.7%

School Capacity

Primary Schools

90% full
96,481 pupils107,282 capacity

10,801 spare places

Secondary Schools

93% full
70,807 pupils76,371 capacity

5,564 spare places

Pupil Absence

Avg Overall Absence

5.9%

2024/25

Avg Persistent Absence

14.6%

2024/25

Schools Reporting

576

2024/25

Absence trend across Lancashire schools

4.2%
18/19
4.3%
20/21
6.5%
21/22
6.3%
22/23
6.3%
23/24
5.9%
24/25

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Average across all open schools in this LA.

EHCP Timeliness

Issued Within 20 Weeks

10%

Plans Issued

2,921

Assessment Requests

3,630

Tribunal Cases

87

EHCP timeliness trend (% issued within 20 weeks)

75%
2019
75%
2020
66%
2021
99%
2022
80%
2023
17%
2024
10%
2025

Source: DfE EHCP timeliness statistics. Shows how quickly this LA issues Education, Health and Care Plans.

Admission Appeals

2026 admission appeals by school phase

Primary

14,624 admissions

425

Lodged

(2.9%)

259

Heard

71

Successful

(27%)

Primary (infant classes)

13,152 admissions

221

Lodged

(1.7%)

119

Heard

22

Successful

(19%)

Secondary

15,097 admissions

897

Lodged

(5.9%)

667

Heard

166

Successful

(25%)

Total

29,721 admissions

1,322

Lodged

(4.4%)

926

Heard

237

Successful

(26%)

Total appeals lodged per year

4625
2019
4781
2020
3923
2021
3492
2022
3787
2023
4198
2024
4193
2025
2865
2026

Source: DfE admission appeals statistics. Shows how competitive school places are in this area.

Towns in Lancashire

Preston

174 schools

Burnley

61 schools

Chorley

54 schools

Lancaster

39 schools

Accrington

36 schools

Ormskirk

33 schools

Nelson

27 schools

Skelmersdale

26 schools

Leyland

25 schools

Clitheroe

23 schools

Rossendale

23 schools

Morecambe

18 schools

Blackburn

16 schools

Colne

15 schools

Lytham St Annes

13 schools

Poulton-le-Fylde

13 schools

Carnforth

12 schools

Bacup

10 schools

Fleetwood

9 schools

Thornton-Cleveleys

9 schools

Questions parents ask about schools in Lancashire

How many schools are there in Lancashire?

Lancashire has 707 open schools: 481 state primary, 87 state secondary or all-through, 27 independent, 70 special and 42 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Lancashire are rated Outstanding?

93 schools in Lancashire were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Olive High, Lancaster University School of Mathematics, East Lancashire Learning Group, Rainbow Hub School, Olive High Boys and 88 more. Counting Good as well, 91% of the 599 graded schools here are rated Good or better. Ofsted stopped giving single-word overall grades in September 2024, so these are the grades from each school's last full inspection.

Olive HighLancaster University School of MathematicsEast Lancashire Learning GroupRainbow Hub SchoolOlive High Boys

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Lancashire get the best GCSE results?

Of the 91 schools in Lancashire with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 75.5 and 99% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Lancaster Girls' Grammar School (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 72.1 and 96% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Lancaster Royal Grammar School (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 71.6 and 94% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Selective schools admit by ability, so their raw results are not a like-for-like comparison with comprehensives. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar SchoolLancaster Girls' Grammar SchoolLancaster Royal Grammar School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Lancashire have the best SATs results?

9 of the 445 primary schools in Lancashire with 2025 Key Stage 2 results had every pupil reach the expected standard in both reading and maths, among them Brabins Endowed School, Burscough Bridge Methodist School and Cawthorne's Endowed School. Small schools can swing a long way from one year to the next, because each pupil is a large share of the result.

Brabins Endowed SchoolBurscough Bridge Methodist SchoolCawthorne's Endowed School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Lancashire?

Yes. Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School, Clitheroe Royal Grammar School, Lancaster Girls' Grammar School and Lancaster Royal Grammar School are state grammar schools in Lancashire. Grammar schools admit pupils by ability through an entrance test, usually sat at the start of Year 6.

Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar SchoolClitheroe Royal Grammar SchoolLancaster Girls' Grammar SchoolLancaster Royal Grammar School

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Lancashire have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Lancashire have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, Lancashire allocates places on its published criteria - usually looked-after children first, then siblings, then home-to-school distance - so the practical cut-off moves each year. Each school's page here shows an estimate of its catchment radius.

How do I apply for a school place in Lancashire?

Apply to Lancashire through its coordinated admissions process, even for academies and faith schools. In England the closing date is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts. Independent schools run their own admissions, so apply to those directly.

Explore More

The Great School Divide
Anatomy of Outstanding
League Tables