Longsands Community Primary School, Preston

Good
Primary
Community school
Mixed
Ages 411

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~512m)Possible (~731m)Unlikely (~950m)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Caroline Lang
Pupils:213 / 210 capacity
LA:Lancashire
Phone:01772795676
Address:Longsands Lane, Fulwood, Preston, PR2 9PS
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open
Opened:29 November 1995

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 9 months ago
-

Overall

Requires Improvement

Quality of Education

Requires Improvement

Behaviour & Attitudes

Requires Improvement

Personal Development

Requires Improvement

Leadership & Management

Requires Improvement

Early Years

Inspected 2 December 2025View full report
URN:130261
UKPRN:10078216
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Preston
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

Longsands is a warm, nurturing school where your child will be happy and well cared for. Staff have strong expertise in supporting children with additional needs, and the school creates an inclusive environment where all pupils can thrive. Your child will benefit from a rich programme of personal development including sports, outdoor learning and community projects that build resilience and character.

Key Strengths

  • Strong safeguarding culture with clear processes and staff expertise
  • Excellent attendance and behaviour support with a respectful, positive learning environment
  • Inclusive provision with personalised support for pupils with SEND
  • Rich personal development programme including outdoor learning, sport and community engagement
  • Ambitious, broad curriculum with focus on vocabulary and language development

Areas for Improvement

  • Pupils not securing foundational knowledge quickly enough, particularly in handwriting, spelling and phonics
  • Inconsistencies in phonics teaching quality affecting reading fluency
  • Teaching quality variable across the school and does not consistently deepen pupils' understanding
  • Writing checks not used effectively to improve teaching
  • Early years teaching quality variable and needs further development

Safeguarding

Safeguarding standards are met with an open and positive culture where all legal requirements are fulfilled and pupils feel safe.

Extracurricular Activities

Football, gymnastics, netball, dodgeball, eco club, outdoor learning activities, den building, team games

Longsands Community Primary School is a warm, nurturing school where pupils are happy and behave well in a calm, purposeful environment. While the school has strong safeguarding, attendance, behaviour and inclusion practices, there are concerns about the pace at which pupils secure foundational knowledge in reading, writing and phonics.

At a Glance

9.9%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading+15ppMaths+5ppWriting+12pp

Reading has improved from 66% to 81%. Maths has improved from 76% to 81%. Writing has improved from 62% to 74%.

Class Sizes

30.4

Avg class size

30.0

Infant (KS1)

30.8

KS2

7

Total classes

2 classes with more than 30 pupils

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Bus Stops

Anderton Arms (o/s)
97m · 2 min walk
Bowlers Close (opp)
194m · 3 min walk
Teil Green (opp)
417m · 7 min walk
Longsands Lane (by)
482m · 8 min walk
Waterford Close (by)
484m · 8 min walk
Can you get into this school?
Enter your postcode to find out

Commute Calculator

Find out if this school is reachable from your home - before you apply

Sign up free to see your commute to this school

What are my chances?

Enter your postcode to estimate your probability of getting a place.

Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

101%

Over capacity

213 pupils

210 capacity

3 places over capacity

Area Demand Pressure - Preston

Low pressure
New homes approved:3,777
Projected new pupils:944

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Preston

Admissions Demand - Lancashire

Low demand0.77x oversubscription

Places available

15,664

Applications

12,136

Got 1st preference

93.0%

Got preferred school

98.8%

Primary admissions across Lancashire (2025/26)

Inspection History(7)

2 December 2025
Quality of EducationRequires Improvement
Behaviour & AttitudesRequires Improvement
Personal DevelopmentRequires Improvement
Leadership & ManagementRequires Improvement
Early YearsRequires Improvement
29 June 2021
12 January 2016

House Prices

Moving into the catchment? See what homes near this school actually cost

Sign up free to see house prices near this school

SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

Sign up free to see special needs support at this school

Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

Sign up free to see who goes to this school

Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

Sign up free to see teacher and staff data

School Funding

Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.

Sign up free to see how this school is funded

Pupil Absence
2024/25

3.93249%

Overall absence

8.06452%

Persistent absence

186

Enrolments

Authorised3.32815%
Unauthorised0.60433%
Persistent (10%+)8.06452%
Severe (50%+)0%

Absence trend

2.99595%
18/19
2.89458%
20/21
5.25558%
21/22
4.85353%
22/23
5.66284%
23/24
3.93249%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

Reviews

No reviews yet - be the first to leave one.

Leave a Review

You need to be signed in to leave a review.

Secondary Schools Nearby

Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to

Nearby Schools

Do you work at this school?

Claim your profile free to get a verified badge, update your contact details, and see how many parents are viewing your page.