Find the best primary schools in Preston. Compare Ofsted ratings, catchment areas and parent reviews.
Preston has 53 primary schools, all in Lancashire council's area. Most state schools here offer places by distance from home once children in care and siblings of current pupils have been admitted, so how close you live decides your chances at any school with more applicants than places. Some councils draw a fixed catchment boundary instead, and the distance at which the last place went changes every year. Of the 53, 30 are faith schools that can put children of their faith first, so distance counts for less there.
Use the distance checker to measure your home's straight-line distance to any Preston primary school, and each school's page for its Ofsted report, results and admissions details. Check your distance to a school or try the admissions calculator.
| School | Type | Our rating |
|---|---|---|
| Barton St Lawrence Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 4.9 / 5 |
| Sherwood Primary School | Mixed | 4.8 / 5 |
| The Olive School, Preston | Muslim | 4.8 / 5 |
| Broughton-in-Amounderness Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 4.5 / 5 |
| Grimsargh St Michael's Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 4.5 / 5 |
| St Clare's Catholic Primary School, Preston | Roman Catholic | 4.4 / 5 |
| Goosnargh Oliverson's Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 4.1 / 5 |
There are 53 primary schools in Preston.
Apply by 15 January for a Reception place starting that September. Children start Reception in the September after their fourth birthday. You apply to the council where you live, even if the school is in another council's area, and can usually list between 3 and 6 schools in order of preference. If you live in Preston, that council is Lancashire. Offers are sent on 16 April, or the next working day.
Of the 53 primary schools in Preston, 30 have a religious character: 18 Roman Catholic, 10 Church of England, 1 Methodist and 1 Muslim. When a faith school has more applicants than places, it can give priority to children of its faith. Many ask for a supplementary form, sometimes signed by a religious leader, so read the school's admissions policy before you apply.
On our star rating, the highest rated are Barton St Lawrence Church of England Primary School (4.9), Sherwood Primary School (4.8), The Olive School, Preston (4.8), Broughton-in-Amounderness Church of England Primary School (4.5) and Grimsargh St Michael's Church of England Primary School (4.5). The rating is our own, out of 5. It combines Parent View survey results, the latest Ofsted inspection and SATs results, with the parent survey carrying the most weight. Of the 53 schools here, 47 have enough published data for a rating.
| Mixed |
| 4.1 / 5 |
| St Francis Catholic Primary School, Goosnargh | Roman Catholic | 4.0 / 5 |
| Brookfield Community Primary School | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Ashton-on-Ribble St Andrew's Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 3.9 / 5 |
| Ribbleton Avenue Infant School | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| Lea Neeld's Endowed Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 3.9 / 5 |
| Goosnargh Whitechapel Primary School | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| Ingol Community Primary School | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| Kennington Primary School | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| Fulwood, St Peter's Church of England Primary School and Nursery | Church of England | 3.8 / 5 |
| St Maria Goretti Catholic Primary School, Preston | Roman Catholic | 3.8 / 5 |
| St Gregory's Catholic Primary School, Preston | Roman Catholic | 3.8 / 5 |
| St Stephen's CofE School | Church of England | 3.8 / 5 |
| St Augustine's Catholic Primary School, Preston | Roman Catholic | 3.8 / 5 |
| Brockholes Wood Community Primary School and Nursery | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Our Lady and St Edward's Catholic Primary School, Preston | Roman Catholic | 3.8 / 5 |
| St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Preston | Roman Catholic | 3.6 / 5 |
| Lea Community Primary School | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| Woodplumpton St Anne's CofE Primary School | Church of England | 3.4 / 5 |
| Harris Primary School | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| Pool House Community Primary School | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| Longsands Community Primary School | Mixed | 3.3 / 5 |
| St Bernard's Catholic Primary School, Preston | Roman Catholic | 3.2 / 5 |
| Cottam Primary School | Mixed | 3.2 / 5 |
| Fishwick Primary School | Mixed | 3.2 / 5 |
| Holme Slack Community Primary School | Mixed | 3.1 / 5 |
| Catforth Primary School | Mixed | 3.1 / 5 |
| English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Preston | Roman Catholic | 3.1 / 5 |
| St Teresa's Catholic Primary School, Preston | Roman Catholic | 3.0 / 5 |
| Preston Greenlands Community Primary School | Mixed | 3.0 / 5 |
| Ashton Primary School | Mixed | 2.9 / 5 |
| The Roebuck School | Mixed | 2.8 / 5 |
| Deepdale Community Primary School | Mixed | 2.8 / 5 |
| Moor Nook Community Primary School | Mixed | 2.6 / 5 |
| Frenchwood Community Primary School | Mixed | 2.6 / 5 |
| Ribbleton Avenue Methodist Junior School | Methodist | 2.6 / 5 |
| Preston Grange Primary School | Mixed | 2.4 / 5 |
| The Blessed Sacrament Catholic Primary School, Preston | Roman Catholic | 2.4 / 5 |
| Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Preston | Roman Catholic | 1.9 / 5 |
| St Matthew's Church of England Primary Academy | Church of England | 1.8 / 5 |
| Holy Family Catholic Primary School, Ingol, Preston | Roman Catholic | Not yet rated |
| St Anthony's Catholic Primary School, Preston | Roman Catholic | Not yet rated |
| St Ignatius' Catholic Primary School, Preston | Roman Catholic | Not yet rated |
| St Maria Goretti Catholic Primary School, Preston | Roman Catholic | Not yet rated |
| St Mary and St Andrew's Catholic Primary School, Barton Newsham | Roman Catholic | Not yet rated |
| St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Lea Town | Roman Catholic | Not yet rated |
Our rating is out of 5 and combines Parent View survey results, the latest Ofsted inspection and published results. Source: Department for Education (GIAS) and Ofsted.
Only when you qualify for more than one school. Each school ranks applicants against its own admission criteria without knowing where you placed it. If you qualify for several, the council offers the one you ranked highest, so putting a popular school first does not lower your chances at your second choice.
No. Distance only matters when a school has more applicants than places, and then it offers places in the order its admission criteria set out. Children in care or adopted from care come first by law. Most schools put brothers and sisters of current pupils next, then distance or catchment area. Faith schools and grammar schools use different criteria. How far away the last place went changes every year, depending on who applies.
The council offers a place at another school with room, which may be further from home. You can accept it and still join the waiting lists for the schools you preferred. Waiting lists are ranked by the admission criteria, not by how long a child has been on them. You can also appeal to an independent panel for any school that refused you. Appeals for Reception to Year 2 rarely succeed, because infant classes are limited to 30 pupils by law and a panel can only admit above that limit in narrow circumstances.