Ribbleton Avenue Infant School, Preston
Ribbleton Avenue Infant School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 7 in Preston. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in April 2013. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in October 2024 did not change this grade. It was 99% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2013)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Lancashire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Ribbleton Avenue Infant School in detail
Ribbleton Avenue Infant School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "I am extremely privileged to be Head Teacher and to lead a team that is committed to children's well-being, achieving high standards and providing the very best opportunities for all. Our vision is that all Ribbleton Avenue Infant School children achieve their potential and develop into caring, responsible and hardworking citizens."
Headteacher's welcome (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Ribbleton Avenue Infant School
For September 2026 entry, 52 families put Ribbleton Avenue Infant School as their first choice and 131 named it as one of their preferences, for 58 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 Ribbleton Avenue Infant School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Ribbleton Avenue Infant School are Ribbleton Avenue Methodist Junior School (under 0.1 miles, Good, 70% reading, 58% maths); St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Preston (0.3 miles, 80% reading, 82% maths); St Matthew's Church of England Primary Academy (0.4 miles, 68% reading, 67% maths); and St Gregory's Catholic Primary School, Preston (0.5 miles, Good, 86% reading, 90% maths).
Ribbleton Avenue Methodist Junior SchoolSt Joseph's Catholic Primary School, PrestonSt Matthew's Church of England Primary AcademySt Gregory's Catholic Primary School, Preston
What parents say
21 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Ribbleton Avenue Infant School (as of September 2025): 95% would recommend the school, 95% say their child is happy there and 0% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (0%).
Who goes there
61.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Asian (55%), White British (24%) and Mixed (6%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Preston Rail Station, about 1.5 miles away in a straight line.
3 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Acregate Lane (adjacent), 70 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Ribbleton Avenue Infant School stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 554 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.
Suspensions and exclusions
Ribbleton Avenue Infant School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Ribbleton Avenue Infant School are Preston Muslim Girls High School (0.4 miles); Moor Park High School (0.7 miles); Eden Boys' School, Preston (0.7 miles); and Christ The King Catholic High School (1.4 miles).
Preston Muslim Girls High SchoolMoor Park High SchoolEden Boys' School, PrestonChrist The King Catholic High School
Sources: 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
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from April 2013, 13 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
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils are made to feel welcome at this school, which prides itself on supporting families in the community that it serves. Respect and friendship are school values that pupils work hard to model. They appreciate their friendships with their classmates and the caring relationships that they have with staff. Pupils trust that staff will help them if they have any worries or concerns. This helps pupils to feel happy at school.
Pupils make a positive start to their education at this school. This stems from the high levels of ambition that the school has for pupils' learning and development. From the Nursery class onwards, pupils are well mannered and considerate towards others. Many pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well across much of the curriculum.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school's curriculum is ambitious for pupils, including those with SEND. In a small number of subjects, refinements to the curriculum are relatively new. In these subjects, the curriculum is well thought out. However, as a result of weaknesses in the previous subject curriculum, some pupils have gaps in their knowledge that remain unaddressed. Consequently, their understanding is insecure and at times this hinders these pupils' ability to make sense of new learning and concepts.
The school has considered the important knowledge that pupils should learn across the curriculum, beginning in the Nursery Year. Across many subjects, the school has developed ways for teachers to check on what pupils know and remember from previous learning. Typically, teachers use all of this information well to design learning activities that build up pupils' knowledge. That said, some of the learning activities that a few teachers design do not support pupils to successfully connect to and build on what they already know. As a result, some pupils do not learn as well as they could.
From Ofsted's October 2024 ungraded inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Outstanding at its April 2013 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
21.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
21 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
27.1
Avg class size
29.0
Infant (KS1)
9
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Ribbleton Avenue Infant School
Term dates
Ribbleton Avenue Infant School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Lancashire. Training (INSET) days, when pupils are not in school, vary by school: check the school's own calendar.
2026 to 2027
- Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026)
- Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027)
- Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027)
2027 to 2028
- Autumn term: Wednesday 1 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027)
- Spring term: Tuesday 4 January to Friday 31 March 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028)
- Summer term: Tuesday 18 April to Friday 21 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028)
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Ribbleton Avenue Infant School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Ribbleton Avenue Infant 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
- 78
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 25
- Children hurt
- 20
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 78 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 25 serious and 52 slight.
20 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 10 on foot, 5 on a bicycle and 5 in a vehicle or otherwise.
15 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 Ribbleton Avenue Infant School
Will you get a place at Ribbleton Avenue Infant School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Ribbleton Avenue Infant School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Ribbleton Avenue Infant School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Ribbleton Avenue Infant School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Lancashire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Ribbleton Avenue Infant 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.
£9.99 once
One school, inc. VAT. Or £19.99 for up to three schools.
Pro £9 a month, every report included, cancel any time
A report for any school, plus everything else in Pro.
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
99%
Near capacity
209 pupils
210 places
1 spare place in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Preston
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Preston
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(5)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
39
SEN Support
11
EHC Plans
20.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
244
Total Pupils
145
Boys
99
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
12
Teachers
20.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,992
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,478
Per pupil
£1528k
Total funding
£109k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.4%
Overall absence
17.1%
Persistent absence
146
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Ribbleton Avenue Infant School
Questions parents ask about Ribbleton Avenue Infant School
What is Ribbleton Avenue Infant School's Ofsted rating?
Ribbleton Avenue Infant School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in April 2013, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Ribbleton Avenue Infant School?
No fixed boundary. When Ribbleton Avenue Infant 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 Ribbleton Avenue Infant School?
Ribbleton Avenue Infant School was full in 2025, at 100% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Ribbleton Avenue Infant School?
Classes at Ribbleton Avenue Infant School average 27.1 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Ribbleton Avenue Infant School?
Ribbleton Avenue Infant School has around 244 pupils on roll. 22% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Ribbleton Avenue Infant School?
6.4% of sessions were missed at Ribbleton Avenue Infant School in 2024/25. 17.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Ribbleton Avenue Infant School?
Apply through Lancashire's coordinated admissions process, naming Ribbleton Avenue Infant 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.
What are Ribbleton Avenue Infant School's term dates?
Ribbleton Avenue Infant School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Lancashire. In 2026 to 2027: Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026); Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027); Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027). In 2027 to 2028: Autumn term: Wednesday 1 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027); Spring term: Tuesday 4 January to Friday 31 March 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028); Summer term: Tuesday 18 April to Friday 21 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028).
How many road collisions happen near Ribbleton Avenue Infant School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 78 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 25 serious and 52 slight. 20 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 10 on foot, 5 on a bicycle and 5 in a vehicle or otherwise. 15 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 Ribbleton Avenue Infant School?
Ribbleton Avenue Infant School is at Ribbleton Avenue, Preston, Lancashire, PR1 5RU.
Sources: Lancashire term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)