Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Chorley
Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Chorley. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2020. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in January 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 14th-highest of the 40 schools in Chorley with published results, and 5,071st of 14,452 across England. It was 73% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2020)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
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.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School in detail
Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School in its own words
In its own words: "Welcome to Eccleston St. Mary's Church of England Primary School - a happy, friendly, welcoming and nurturing Christian environment at the heart of the local community. At St. Mary's we value every child as a unique individual and we encourage them to aspire to achieve their very best in everything they do."
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 70% of Year 6 pupils at Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 93% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 74% in Lancashire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 90% in reading and 90% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 11 families put Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School as their first choice and 60 named it as one of their preferences, for 12 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School are Eccleston Primary School (0.2 miles, Good, 94% reading, 97% maths); Heskin Pemberton's Church of England VA Primary School (1.4 miles, Good, 77% reading, 85% maths); St Peter and Paul's Catholic Primary School, Mawdesley (1.6 miles, Requires improvement, 73% reading, 82% maths); and Mawdesley St Peter's Church of England Primary School (2.1 miles, Good, 100% reading, 100% maths).
Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.
Eccleston Primary SchoolHeskin Pemberton's Church of England VA Primary SchoolSt Peter and Paul's Catholic Primary School, MawdesleyMawdesley St Peter's Church of England Primary School
What parents say
29 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School (as of September 2025): 83% would recommend the school, 97% say their child is happy there and 60% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (97%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (60%).
Who goes there
14.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 26 pupils (17.6%) received SEN support and 1 (0.7%) 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 moderate learning difficulty.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Euxton Balshaw Lane Rail Station, about 2.4 miles away in a straight line.
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Institute (opposite), 50 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. On income deprivation affecting children it is in the 7th decile, where the 1st is the most deprived. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 10 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, burglary and violence and sexual offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Lancashire (109).
Suspensions and exclusions
Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from January 2020, 6 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's January 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Eccleston St Mary's is a welcoming school where pupils feel happy and achieve well across many subjects. The school excels at developing confident readers and expects high standards of behaviour which pupils meet with ease. Beyond academics, pupils benefit from numerous clubs and learn important values like empathy through charitable fundraising and understanding different faiths and cultures.
Key Strengths
- Strong teaching of phonics and reading in Reception and Key Stage 1, with well-matched books helping pupils experience success
- Excellent behaviour and positive attitudes to learning across the school, with calm and purposeful classrooms
- Effective support for pupils with SEND, including well-chosen resources and valuable support for parents
- High-quality training for staff and effective systems to check what pupils know, helping teachers design building blocks of knowledge
- Strong governance with governors effectively checking school performance and contributing to continuous improvement
Areas for Improvement
- In a very small number of foundation subjects, the school has not clearly set out what key knowledge pupils should learn and when, making it difficult for teachers to help pupils build deep knowledge
- Some pupils in these subjects experience learning that does not connect with or build on what they already know, leaving their knowledge insecure
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with a positive school culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Sports clubs, book club, choir, cookery club, school council, charitable fundraising activities, breakfast club, after-school provision
Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School has successfully maintained its good standards since the previous inspection in January 2020. This welcoming school has high expectations for all pupils and provides a broad range of learning experiences.
At a Glance
14.2%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
29 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 90% to 70% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 93% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 77% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
21.1
Avg class size
19.7
Infant (KS1)
22.3
KS2
7
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School.
- Fun Fest Chorley420m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School is a voluntary aided school, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Lancashire's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School is in Lancashire; for families living there:
- Lancashire's school travel policy: school transport policies
- How to apply: Apply for free home to school transport assistance
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 9
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 9 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 4 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot.
2 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Lancashire is 12 (the median across 707 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School
Will you get a place at Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Lancashire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Lancashire got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
73%
Available places
153 pupils
210 places
57 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Chorley
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Chorley
Across Lancashire council
Places available
15,442
Applications
12,122
Got 1st preference
91.3%
Got preferred school
98.3%
All primary applications across Lancashire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(6)
Ungraded inspection: Standards have been maintained.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
26
SEN Support
1
EHC Plans
18.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
148
Total Pupils
71
Boys
77
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
9
Teachers
16.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,845
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,432
Per pupil
£1008k
Total funding
£45k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.1%
Overall absence
7.3%
Persistent absence
150
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School
What are SATs results like at Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School?
Of the pupils at Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 70% reached the expected standard in reading and 93% did so in maths.
What is Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in January 2020, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School is oversubscribed, Lancashire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School?
Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 73% of its 210 places.
How big are the classes at Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School?
Classes at Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School average 21.1 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School?
Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School has around 148 pupils on roll. 14% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School?
4.1% of sessions were missed at Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School in 2024/25. 7.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School?
Apply through Lancashire's coordinated admissions process, naming Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School: Fun Fest Chorley (420m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 9 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 4 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot. 2 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Lancashire is 12 (the median across 707 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School?
Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School is at The Green, Eccleston, Chorley, Lancashire, PR7 5TE.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)