Archbishop Temple Church of England High School, Preston

From the headteacher's welcome: "Archbishop Temple Church of England High School is a high performing secondary school in Preston, Lancashire. We have 882 pupils, aged 11-16, and we aim to provide an outstanding education based firmly on our core values of faith, nurture and service. Our pupils receive a first class education and our exam results are consistently among the best in the country."

In 2026, pupils at Archbishop Temple Church of England High School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 56.9, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.2 in Lancashire and 47 across England.

60% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 44% in Lancashire and 47% in England.

That is up from 55.4 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.22: pupils made above average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 38, against 58.5 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 20.5 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 24 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and Business Studies.

For September 2026 entry, 98 families put Archbishop Temple Church of England High School as their first choice and 551 named it as one of their preferences, for 205 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Archbishop Temple Church of England High School are Corpus Christi Catholic High School (0.3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 54.1); Lancashire Education Medical Services (0.6 miles); Fulwood Academy (0.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 43.8); and Our Lady's Catholic High School (0.9 miles, Good, Attainment 8 54.9).

Archbishop Temple Church of England High School's 2026 results were higher than all 3 of them.

14 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Archbishop Temple Church of England High School (as of April 2026): 14% would recommend the school, 14% say their child is happy there and 10% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (14%); the weakest, that pupils behave well (7%).

Of the 156 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 89% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 22% to a further education college, 5% to an apprenticeship and 2% into work.

15.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 9.7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (58%), Asian (21%) and Mixed (10%).

In 2026, 91 pupils (10.2%) received SEN support and 11 (1.2%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is a specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia.

The nearest railway station is Preston Rail Station, about 1.8 miles away in a straight line.

3 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Archbishop Temple CEHS (by), 270 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Archbishop Temple Church of England High School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 244 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Lancashire (109), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Archbishop Temple Church of England High School issued 183 suspensions, 21.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 4 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Archbishop Temple Church of England High School are The Olive School, Preston (0.2 miles); Kennington Primary School (0.4 miles); Queen's Drive Primary School (0.6 miles); and St Clare's Catholic Primary School, Preston (0.6 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.