St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School, Walton-le-Dale, Preston
St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School, Walton-le-Dale is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Preston. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2020. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in February 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 86th-highest of the 106 schools in Preston with published results, and 11,866th of 14,452 across England. It was 98% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2020)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than 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
St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School, Walton-le-Dale in detail
Results
In 2025, 60% of Year 6 pupils at St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School, Walton-le-Dale reached the expected standard in reading and 70% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 74% in Lancashire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 81% in reading and 63% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School, Walton-le-Dale
For September 2026 entry, 24 families put St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School, Walton-le-Dale as their first choice and 75 named it as one of their preferences, for 30 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 St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School, Walton-le-Dale
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School, Walton-le-Dale are Walton-le-Dale, St Leonard's Church of England Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 85% reading, 64% maths); Walton-le-Dale Community Primary School (1 mile, Good, 77% reading, 74% maths); Bamber Bridge St Aidan's Church of England Primary School (1 mile, Requires improvement, 45% reading, 25% maths); and St Mary's and St Benedict's Roman Catholic Primary School (1.1 miles, Requires improvement, 72% reading, 67% maths).
St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School, Walton-le-Dale's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
Walton-le-Dale, St Leonard's Church of England Primary SchoolWalton-le-Dale Community Primary SchoolBamber Bridge St Aidan's Church of England Primary SchoolSt Mary's and St Benedict's Roman Catholic Primary School
What parents say
29 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School, Walton-le-Dale (as of September 2025): 83% would recommend the school, 86% say their child is happy there and 14% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (90%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (14%).
Who goes there
14.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 12.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (67%), Asian (15%) and Mixed (7%).
In 2026, 13 pupils (6.5%) received SEN support and 7 (3.5%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Bamber Bridge Rail Station, about 1.3 miles away in a straight line.
5 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Knot Lane (by), 50 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School, Walton-le-Dale issued 14 suspensions, 7.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School, Walton-le-Dale are Walton-Le-Dale High School (0.7 miles), Brownedge St Mary's Catholic High School (0.9 miles), Christ The King Catholic High School (1.1 miles) and Lostock Hall Academy (1.4 miles).
Walton-Le-Dale High SchoolBrownedge St Mary's Catholic High SchoolChrist The King Catholic High SchoolLostock Hall Academy
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); 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); DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from January 2020, 6 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
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's February 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
St Patrick's creates a welcoming community where children thrive both academically and personally. Staff are genuinely supportive and caring, forming strong relationships with families. The school offers an ambitious curriculum with a strong focus on developing knowledge step-by-step, preparing children well for secondary school and life beyond.
Key Strengths
- Pupils feel happy, safe and welcomed with confident, positive behaviour
- Strong relationships between school and families, with supportive and approachable staff
- Well-developed ambitious curriculum with pupils typically achieving well and prepared for secondary school
- Effective early years provision that develops children's coordination and teamwork
- High pupil attendance rates and respectful behaviour across the school
Areas for Improvement
- Mathematics attainment at end of Year 6 was weaker than previously - curriculum delivery needs to be more consistent
- Teachers do not always spot pupils' misconceptions quickly, leading to gaps in learning
- Identification of specific needs for pupils with SEND, particularly those with social, emotional and mental health difficulties, needs improvement
- Early reading phonics standard fell below national average last year
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with strong systems in place to keep pupils safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Residential visits, retreats, trips to local wildlife sanctuary, gardening clubs, environmental protection clubs, school council roles, librarian roles, head boy/head girl roles, daily story time
St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School is a welcoming environment where pupils feel happy and safe, living out the school's values of 'learn, grow and shine'. The school has maintained good standards and taken effective action since the previous inspection.
At a Glance
14.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
29 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)
Reading has declined from 81% to 60% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 63% to 70% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 78% to 57% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
28.4
Avg class size
24.3
Infant (KS1)
31.5
KS2
7
Total classes
2 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School, Walton-le-Dale
Term dates
St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School, Walton-le-Dale is a voluntary aided school, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Lancashire's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
You apply to the council where you live. St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School, Walton-le-Dale 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
- 6
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 4 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
2 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 St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School, Walton-le-Dale
Will you get a place at St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School, Walton-le-Dale? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School, Walton-le-Dale's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School, Walton-le-Dale:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School, Walton-le-Dale.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Lancashire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School, Walton-le-Dale 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.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
98%
Near capacity
202 pupils
206 places
4 spare places 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(7)
Ungraded inspection: Standards have been maintained.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
13
SEN Support
7
EHC Plans
10.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
199
Total Pupils
105
Boys
94
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
10
Teachers
19.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£45,908
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,479
Per pupil
£1119k
Total funding
£45k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.9%
Overall absence
6.3%
Persistent absence
176
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
St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School, Walton-le-Dale
Questions parents ask about St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School, Walton-le-Dale
What are SATs results like at St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School, Walton-le-Dale?
Of the pupils at St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School, Walton-le-Dale who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 60% reached the expected standard in reading and 70% did so in maths.
What is St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School, Walton-le-Dale's Ofsted rating?
St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School, Walton-le-Dale's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in January 2020, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School, Walton-le-Dale?
No fixed boundary. When St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School, Walton-le-Dale is oversubscribed, Lancashire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School, Walton-le-Dale?
St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School, Walton-le-Dale was close to full in 2025, at 98% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School, Walton-le-Dale?
Classes at St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School, Walton-le-Dale average 28.4 pupils (2025/26). 2 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School, Walton-le-Dale?
St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School, Walton-le-Dale has around 199 pupils on roll. 15% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School, Walton-le-Dale?
3.9% of sessions were missed at St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School, Walton-le-Dale in 2024/25. 6.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School, Walton-le-Dale?
Apply through Lancashire's coordinated admissions process, naming St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School, Walton-le-Dale 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.
How many road collisions happen near St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School, Walton-le-Dale?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 4 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 2 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 St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School, Walton-le-Dale?
St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School, Walton-le-Dale is at Higher Walton Road, Walton-le-Dale, Preston, Lancashire, PR5 4HD.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)