Walton-le-Dale, St Leonard's Church of England Primary School, Preston
Walton-le-Dale, St Leonard's Church of England Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 5 to 11 in Preston. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in November 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 63rd-highest of the 106 schools in Preston with published results, and 8,618th of 14,452 across England. It was 89% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2015)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- 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
Walton-le-Dale, St Leonard's Church of England Primary School in detail
Walton-le-Dale, St Leonard's Church of England Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "I would like to welcome you to St.Leonard's C.E. Primary School. Here at St.Leonard's we pride ourselves on being a family. We have a strong belief in our partnership between home and school. The information should answer any immediate questions and offer details which should prove helpful throughout the academic year. 'A new commandment I give you: love one another."
Headteacher's welcome (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 85% of Year 6 pupils at Walton-le-Dale, St Leonard's Church of England Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 64% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 74% in Lancashire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (75% in reading, 73% in maths).
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Walton-le-Dale, St Leonard's Church of England Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 31 families put Walton-le-Dale, St Leonard's Church of England Primary School as their first choice and 86 named it as one of their preferences, for 30 places offered. That is slightly more first choices than places. 3 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Walton-le-Dale, St Leonard's Church of England Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Walton-le-Dale, St Leonard's Church of England Primary School are St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School, Walton-le-Dale (0.5 miles, Good, 60% reading, 70% maths); Frenchwood Community Primary School (0.8 miles, Requires improvement, 61% reading, 57% maths); Walton-le-Dale Community Primary School (0.9 miles, Good, 77% reading, 74% maths); and St Augustine's Catholic Primary School, Preston (1 mile, 85% reading, 80% maths).
Walton-le-Dale, St Leonard's Church of England Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.
St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School, Walton-le-DaleFrenchwood Community Primary SchoolWalton-le-Dale Community Primary SchoolSt Augustine's Catholic Primary School, Preston
What parents say
47 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Walton-le-Dale, St Leonard's Church of England Primary School (as of September 2025): 85% would recommend the school, 92% say their child is happy there and 67% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (94%); the weakest, that the school supports their child's wider development (62%).
Who goes there
8.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 3.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (84%) and Asian (8%).
Staffing
Walton-le-Dale, St Leonard's Church of England Primary School had 9 teachers in 2026, one for every 27 pupils: fewer teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Bamber Bridge Rail Station, about 1.4 miles away in a straight line.
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Walton Green (by), 140 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Walton-le-Dale, St Leonard's Church of England Primary School issued 4 suspensions, 1.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Walton-le-Dale, St Leonard's Church of England Primary School are Christ The King Catholic High School (0.6 miles); Walton-Le-Dale High School (1.1 miles); Eden Boys' School, Preston (1.1 miles); and Brownedge St Mary's Catholic High School (1.1 miles).
Christ The King Catholic High SchoolWalton-Le-Dale High SchoolEden Boys' School, PrestonBrownedge St Mary's Catholic High School
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; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from June 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's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils are happy at this nurturing school. They enjoy strong, positive relationships with caring staff. Pupils know that there are trusted adults who they can speak with about any worries they may have. This fosters a deep sense of safety and belonging.
The school wants its pupils to be inquiring, independent, inclusive and inspirational. It has redesigned its curriculum to ensure that it is suitably ambitious for all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils typically achieve well. Year 6 pupils are well prepared for their secondary education.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school has worked effectively to secure improvements to the quality of the curriculum since the last inspection. It has carefully considered the needs and interests of all pupils in its curriculum design. The curriculum in all subjects across key stages 1 and 2 is ambitious and well thought out. In these subjects, the school has considered carefully what it wants pupils to know and the order in which the subject content will be taught. This is a similar picture in the early years, where the curriculum in most areas of learning identifies the key knowledge that children should learn. This prepares them well for key stage 1.
Staff deliver the curriculum well. Most staff use the school's strategies to identify and address pupils' misconceptions or gaps in their knowledge. However, from time to time, some staff do not check that pupils' knowledge is secure before introducing new learning. This hinders how deeply some pupils, and children in the early years, learn.
From Ofsted's November 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 Good at its June 2015 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
8.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
47 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 improved from 75% to 85% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 73% to 64% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 72% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
32.6
Avg class size
35.8
KS2
7
Total classes
3 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 Walton-le-Dale, St Leonard's Church of England Primary School
Term dates
Walton-le-Dale, St Leonard's Church of England Primary School 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. Walton-le-Dale, St Leonard's Church of England 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
- 24
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 7
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 24 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 7 serious and 16 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise.
5 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 Walton-le-Dale, St Leonard's Church of England Primary School
Will you get a place at Walton-le-Dale, St Leonard's Church of England Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Walton-le-Dale, St Leonard's Church of England Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Walton-le-Dale, St Leonard's Church of England Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Walton-le-Dale, St Leonard's Church of England Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Lancashire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Walton-le-Dale, St Leonard's Church of England Primary 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.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
89%
Available places
239 pupils
269 places
30 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: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
28
SEN Support
10
EHC Plans
16.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
228
Total Pupils
109
Boys
119
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
9
Teachers
25.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£54,227
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,077
Per pupil
£1332k
Total funding
£35k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.6%
Overall absence
4.2%
Persistent absence
215
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
Walton-le-Dale, St Leonard's Church of England Primary School
Questions parents ask about Walton-le-Dale, St Leonard's Church of England Primary School
What are SATs results like at Walton-le-Dale, St Leonard's Church of England Primary School?
Of the pupils at Walton-le-Dale, St Leonard's Church of England Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 85% reached the expected standard in reading and 64% did so in maths.
What is Walton-le-Dale, St Leonard's Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Walton-le-Dale, St Leonard's Church of England Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in November 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in June 2015, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Walton-le-Dale, St Leonard's Church of England Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Walton-le-Dale, St Leonard's Church of England Primary 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 Walton-le-Dale, St Leonard's Church of England Primary School?
Walton-le-Dale, St Leonard's Church of England Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 89% of its 269 places.
How big are the classes at Walton-le-Dale, St Leonard's Church of England Primary School?
Classes at Walton-le-Dale, St Leonard's Church of England Primary School average 32.6 pupils (2025/26). 3 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Walton-le-Dale, St Leonard's Church of England Primary School?
Walton-le-Dale, St Leonard's Church of England Primary School has around 228 pupils on roll. 9% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Walton-le-Dale, St Leonard's Church of England Primary School?
3.6% of sessions were missed at Walton-le-Dale, St Leonard's Church of England Primary School in 2024/25. 4.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Walton-le-Dale, St Leonard's Church of England Primary School?
Apply through Lancashire's coordinated admissions process, naming Walton-le-Dale, St Leonard's Church of England Primary 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.
How many road collisions happen near Walton-le-Dale, St Leonard's Church of England Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 24 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 7 serious and 16 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise. 5 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 Walton-le-Dale, St Leonard's Church of England Primary School?
Walton-le-Dale, St Leonard's Church of England Primary School is at Walton Green, Walton-le-Dale, Preston, Lancashire, PR5 4JL.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)