Fulwood and Cadley Primary School, Preston

Ofsted's report card from its 3 March 2026 inspection grades Fulwood and Cadley Primary School on 7 areas: 3 needs attention and 4 urgent improvement. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Attendance and behaviour - Needs attention. "Leaders' expectations for pupils' behaviour are not high enough."

Early years - Needs attention. "Children do not learn all they need to be fully prepared for Year 1 and beyond."

Personal development and wellbeing - Needs attention. "Leaders' approach to promoting pupils' personal development is not wholly successful."

Achievement - Urgent improvement. "Many pupils do not achieve well."

Curriculum and teaching - Urgent improvement. "The curriculum is not well structured."

Inclusion - Urgent improvement. "Leaders do not accurately identify the barriers that some pupils, including those who are disadvantaged and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), face."

Leadership and governance - Urgent improvement. "Leaders at all levels demonstrate limited capacity in tackling long-standing weaknesses at the school."

Safeguarding standards were NOT met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders must ensure that they develop a positive safeguarding culture so that pupils feel safe and are safe when at school"; "Leaders must ensure that there is a coherent curriculum that is delivered well by teachers so that pupils build a secure body of knowledge across the curriculum. This is particularly important in reading, writing and mathematics so that pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education"; "Leaders must ensure that teachers are suitably equipped to identify and then resolve gaps in pupils' basic reading, writing and mathematics knowledge, so that pupils can access their learning and achieve success"; "Leaders must ensure that they identify the needs of pupils who face barriers to learning, especially pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders must then make sure that these pupils receive the support that they need to thrive and flourish"; "Leaders and governors must ensure that pupils with SEND receive their full educational entitlement so that they can experience success"; "Leaders should ensure that the curriculum in the early years enables children to master all that they should, especially in writing, so that they are well prepared for Year 1"; "Leaders, including governors, must ensure that they gain an accurate insight into the root causes of the weaknesses at the school, and then use this information to bring about sustained improvement so that pupils achieve well and gain a sense of enjoyment in belonging to the school"; "Governors must ensure that they meet all of their statutory duties. They must gain the skills, knowledge and expertise to offer well-informed challenge to leaders in order to contribute to the school's recovery".

From the headteacher's welcome: "Describing ourselves as a huge family we value the strength of the relationships created in order to ensure the whole school community feels safe and happy. Children are at the heart of the school and we aim to nurture their confidence, resilience and self-belief to ensure that they strive to fulfil their potential."

In 2025, 70% of Year 6 pupils at Fulwood and Cadley Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 63% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 74% in Lancashire and 77% and 75% across England.

Results were similar in 2024 (64% in reading, 66% in maths).

For September 2026 entry, 36 families put Fulwood and Cadley Primary School as their first choice and 154 named it as one of their preferences, for 45 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 5 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state primary schools to Fulwood and Cadley Primary School are Fulwood and Cadley Primary School (under 0.1 miles); St Anthony's Catholic Primary School, Preston (0.2 miles); Queen's Drive Primary School (0.3 miles, Outstanding, 83% reading, 82% maths); and The Roebuck School (0.7 miles, Good, 53% reading, 58% maths).

Fulwood and Cadley Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 2 schools.

55 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Fulwood and Cadley Primary School (as of April 2026): 75% would recommend the school, 78% say their child is happy there and 44% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (86%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (44%).

Fulwood and Cadley Primary School had 7 teachers in 2026, one for every 46 pupils: fewer teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.

The nearest railway station is Preston Rail Station, about 1.7 miles away in a straight line.

8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Cadley Causeway (opposite), 110 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 260 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, Fulwood and Cadley Primary School issued 4 suspensions, 1.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The secondary schools closest to Fulwood and Cadley Primary School are Our Lady's Catholic High School (0.2 miles), Fulwood Academy (0.4 miles), Corpus Christi Catholic High School (0.6 miles) and Archbishop Temple Church of England High School (0.7 miles).