St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Great Eccleston, Preston
Data last updated 11 Sept 2026
Location
Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoOverall
Ofsted Insights
What This School Does Well
St Mary's is a warm, welcoming school where children thrive both academically and personally. The school places strong emphasis on reading and ensures pupils who struggle get quick support. Beyond academics, the school excels at developing well-rounded pupils through life skills, community involvement and leadership opportunities.
Key Strengths
- Strong emphasis on reading from Reception onwards with well-trained staff and quick intervention for pupils who struggle
- Warm, caring relationships between pupils and adults create a happy, productive learning environment
- Pupils develop important life skills and learn about staying safe through residential visits, trips and community activities
- Pupils with SEND are well supported with clear approaches to identification and appropriate adaptations
- Strong sense of community with pupils taking on leadership roles and supporting their locality
Areas for Improvement
- In some subjects like writing, the curriculum does not set out the precise small steps of knowledge pupils should learn, preventing some from building secure subject knowledge
- Errors in spelling, grammar and handwriting sometimes go unaddressed, meaning pupils carry gaps in foundational knowledge over time
- Staff need clearer guidance to consistently identify and address mistakes in pupils' written work across all curriculum subjects
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with appropriate measures in place to keep pupils safe.
Extracurricular Activities
World Book Day celebrations, book swap fairs, residential visits in key stage 2, bike safety training, RNLI station visits, community singing, litter picking, house captain roles, school councillor positions
St Mary's Catholic Primary School is an inclusive, close-knit school where pupils are well known and celebrated. The school has maintained good standards and is well-placed to continue driving effective practice despite recent changes in leadership and staffing.
At a Glance
40.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
14 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2025/26KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
2025/26 academic year
Class Sizes
15.7
Avg class size
3
Total classes
2024/25 academic year
Getting There
Bus Stops
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
81%
Available places
44 pupils
54 capacity
10 spare places available
Area Demand Pressure - Preston
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Preston
Admissions Demand - Lancashire
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
House Prices
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SEN Provision
How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.
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.
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.
School Funding
Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.25031%
Overall absence
18.18182%
Persistent absence
44
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
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