Royal Cross Primary School, Preston
Royal Cross Primary School is a special school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Preston. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in March 2025 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2015)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Royal Cross Primary School in detail
Royal Cross Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Royal Cross is the Lancashire school for deaf children, based in Preston with pupils from across the region. We are a small school with small classes staffed full time by Qualified Teachers of the Deaf and highly skilled Teaching Assistants. We believe 'communication is the key' to success and everything we do is geared towards developing language and communication skills."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include tennis and judo.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Clubs (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Royal Cross Primary School are Pioneer TEC (0.7 miles, Good); New Focus Education (0.7 miles); Cedar Lodge School (1.1 miles, Outstanding); and Moorbrook School (1.9 miles, Good).
Pioneer TECNew Focus EducationCedar Lodge SchoolMoorbrook School
What parents say
12 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Royal Cross Primary School (as of September 2025): 100% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 100% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (100%); the weakest, that the school has high expectations for their child (75%).
Who goes there
50% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 29.4% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (77%) and Asian (12%).
Almost every pupil at Royal Cross Primary School has an education, health and care plan (34 of 34 in 2026). The most common need among them is hearing impairment.
Royal Cross Primary School provides for pupils with hearing impairment.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Preston Rail Station, about 2 miles away in a straight line.
13 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Thistleton Road (opposite), 140 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Royal Cross Primary School stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. On income deprivation affecting children it is in the 4th decile, where the 1st is the most deprived. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Royal Cross Primary School issued 1 suspension, 3.2 for every 100 pupils, and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: 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 March 2015, 11 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's March 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Royal Cross Primary School is a wonderful place where deaf pupils flourish and achieve far beyond what they might have accomplished elsewhere. The school's expert staff use innovative teaching methods - like teaching mouth movements for sounds - combined with high expectations to help every child become a confident communicator and strong learner. Parents are actively involved in their child's learning through special activities like yoga and woodland learning.
Key Strengths
- Exceptional focus on developing pupils' communication skills, helping deaf children overcome significant language barriers
- Ambitious phonics programme that teaches correct mouth movements so pupils can say sounds even when they cannot hear them
- Broad, exciting curriculum broken down into small, well-ordered steps tailored to each pupil's needs
- Excellent staff training and consistent teaching of high quality across the school
- Strong partnerships with parents and health professionals to support pupil success
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with the school creating an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
yoga sessions, woodland learning
Royal Cross Primary School is a special school for deaf pupils that has maintained outstanding standards since its last inspection. Pupils flourish in this happy, welcoming school where they achieve extremely well through excellent quality education.
At a Glance
50.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Hearing
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
12 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)
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with Royal Cross Primary School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Royal Cross Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Royal Cross 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
- 19
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 8
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 19 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 8 serious and 11 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
1 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
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
81%
Available places
34 pupils
42 places
8 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Preston
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Preston
Across Lancashire council
Places available
14,702
Applications
13,782
Got 1st preference
87.1%
Got preferred school
97.2%
All secondary applications across Lancashire council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
34
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Royal Cross Primary School provides for pupils with hearing impairment.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
34
Total Pupils
20
Boys
14
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
4
Teachers
8.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£60,054
Mean salary
2026 data
Pupil Absence2024/25
8.0%
Overall absence
35.3%
Persistent absence
34
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Linked Schools
Schools linked by geographic proximity
Royal Cross Primary School
Questions parents ask about Royal Cross Primary School
What are SATs results like at Royal Cross Primary School?
Of the pupils at Royal Cross Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 0% reached the expected standard in reading and 0% did so in maths.
What is Royal Cross Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Royal Cross Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in March 2015, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Royal Cross Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Royal Cross Primary School is oversubscribed, Lancashire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to Royal Cross Primary School?
Royal Cross Primary School has around 34 pupils on roll. 50% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Royal Cross Primary School have specialist SEN provision?
Royal Cross Primary School provides for pupils with hearing impairment.
What is attendance like at Royal Cross Primary School?
8% of sessions were missed at Royal Cross Primary School in 2024/25. 35.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Royal Cross Primary School?
Apply through Lancashire's coordinated admissions process, naming Royal Cross Primary School on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
How many road collisions happen near Royal Cross Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 19 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 8 serious and 11 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 1 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 Royal Cross Primary School?
Royal Cross Primary School is at Elswick Road, Ashton-on-Ribble, Preston, Lancashire, PR2 1NT.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)