Duke Street Primary School, Chorley

Ofsted's report card from its 9 September 2026 inspection grades Duke Street Primary School on 7 areas: 5 expected standard and 2 needs attention. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "In recent years, leaders have prioritised raising attendance."

Early years - Expected standard. "The embedded routines that promote positive behaviour throughout the school are rooted in the early years."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Leaders have ensured that inclusion is at the forefront of all that they do."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders have identified and begun to address a decline in standards."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Leaders have established a nurturing culture in which pupils' wellbeing is paramount."

Achievement - Needs attention. "Over time, pupils have not achieved highly enough in national tests at the end of key stage 2."

Curriculum and teaching - Needs attention. "Leaders have an accurate understanding of the quality of the curriculum and teaching and they have taken appropriate action to make improvements."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that teaching approaches in Years 1 to 6 consistently promote retention of learning in the long term, so that pupils' knowledge builds securely over time, enabling them to achieve highly"; "Leaders should ensure that staff carefully check what pupils in Years 1 to 6 know and remember, so that gaps in knowledge can be addressed before learning moves on"; "Leaders at all levels should continue to refine their systems to evaluate the causes of underachievement, so that they can continue to build on recent improvements to teaching and enable pupils to achieve highly across the curriculum".

The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care.

In 2025, 45% of Year 6 pupils at Duke Street Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 68% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 74% in Lancashire and 77% and 75% across England.

Results fell from 64% in reading and 64% in maths in 2024.

For September 2026 entry, 39 families put Duke Street Primary School as their first choice and 93 named it as one of their preferences, for 39 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state primary schools to Duke Street Primary School are Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Chorley (0.4 miles, Good, 81% reading, 89% maths); Gillibrand Primary School (0.5 miles, 76% reading, 79% maths); St Gregory's Catholic Primary School, Chorley (0.5 miles, Good, 66% reading, 55% maths); and St George's Church of England Primary School, Chorley (0.5 miles, Outstanding, 91% reading, 91% maths).

Each of them had higher 2025 results than Duke Street Primary School.

41.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 49 pupils (15.5%) received SEN support and 31 (9.8%) 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 social, emotional and mental health needs.

The nearest railway station is Chorley Rail Station, about 690 metres away (roughly a 9-minute walk).

15 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Silvester Road (by), 210 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Duke Street Primary School stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 276 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Lancashire (109), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Duke Street Primary School issued 1 suspension, 0.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The secondary schools closest to Duke Street Primary School are Albany Academy (0.5 miles), Holy Cross Catholic High School (0.6 miles), Southlands High School (0.8 miles) and Parklands High School (0.9 miles).