Find the best primary schools in West Lancashire. Compare Ofsted ratings, catchment areas and parent reviews.
West Lancashire has 56 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 56, 39 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 West Lancashire 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Wrightington Mossy Lea Primary School | Mixed | 4.9 / 5 |
| Aughton Christ Church Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School | Church of England | 4.9 / 5 |
| Crawford Village Primary School | Mixed | 4.9 / 5 |
| Our Lady and All Saints Roman Catholic Primary School, Parbold | Roman Catholic | 4.8 / 5 |
| St Teresa's Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 4.8 / 5 |
| Crow Orchard Primary School | Mixed | 4.7 / 5 |
| Newburgh Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 4.6 / 5 |
There are 56 primary schools in West Lancashire. Of those, 1 is an all-through school, teaching both primary and secondary years.
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 West Lancashire, that council is Lancashire. Offers are sent on 16 April, or the next working day.
Of the 56 primary schools in West Lancashire, 39 have a religious character: 23 Church of England, 11 Roman Catholic, 3 Methodist, 1 Christian and 1 Church of England/Methodist. 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 Wrightington Mossy Lea Primary School (4.9), Aughton Christ Church Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School (4.9), Crawford Village Primary School (4.9), Our Lady and All Saints Roman Catholic Primary School, Parbold (4.8) and St Teresa's Catholic Primary School (4.8). 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. All 56 schools here have a rating.
| Downholland-Haskayne Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 4.6 / 5 |
| Parbold Douglas Church of England Academy | Church of England | 4.5 / 5 |
| Burscough Village Primary School | Mixed | 4.4 / 5 |
| Dalton St Michael's Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 4.3 / 5 |
| Delph Side Community Primary School | Mixed | 4.3 / 5 |
| Halsall St Cuthbert's Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 4.3 / 5 |
| Holland Moor Primary School | Mixed | 4.2 / 5 |
| Rufford CofE School | Church of England | 4.1 / 5 |
| St Thomas the Martyr Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 4.1 / 5 |
| Ormskirk St Anne's Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 4.0 / 5 |
| Tarleton Holy Trinity CofE Primary School | Church of England | 4.0 / 5 |
| St James' Catholic Primary School, Skelmersdale | Roman Catholic | 4.0 / 5 |
| Scarisbrick St Mark's Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 4.0 / 5 |
| Upholland Roby Mill CofE Voluntary Aided Primary School | Church of England | 4.0 / 5 |
| Aughton St Michael's Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 4.0 / 5 |
| Tarleton Community Primary School | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Cobbs Brow School | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| Ormskirk Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 3.9 / 5 |
| Aughton Town Green Primary School | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| Maharishi Free School | all-through | 3.8 / 5 |
| Richard Durning's Endowed Primary School | Christian | 3.8 / 5 |
| Tarleton Mere Brow Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 3.8 / 5 |
| St John's Catholic Primary School, Skelmersdale | Roman Catholic | 3.8 / 5 |
| Westhead Lathom St James' Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 3.8 / 5 |
| Hillside Community Primary School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| Moorside Community Primary Academy School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| St John's Catholic Primary School, Burscough | Roman Catholic | 3.6 / 5 |
| Trinity Church of England/Methodist School | Church of England/Methodist | 3.6 / 5 |
| Appley Bridge All Saints Church of England Primary Academy | Church of England | 3.6 / 5 |
| Burscough Lordsgate Township Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 3.4 / 5 |
| Burscough Bridge Methodist School | Methodist | 3.4 / 5 |
| St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Wrightington | Roman Catholic | 3.4 / 5 |
| Burscough Bridge St John's Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 3.4 / 5 |
| St Edmund's Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 3.4 / 5 |
| Bickerstaffe CofE Primary School and Nursery | Church of England | 3.3 / 5 |
| Woodland Community Primary School | Mixed | 3.2 / 5 |
| Ormskirk Lathom Park Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 3.2 / 5 |
| Ormskirk Asmall Primary School | Mixed | 3.1 / 5 |
| Banks St Stephen's CofE School | Church of England | 3.1 / 5 |
| St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Scarisbrick | Roman Catholic | 3.0 / 5 |
| Brookfield Park Primary School | Mixed | 2.8 / 5 |
| Holmeswood Methodist School | Methodist | 2.8 / 5 |
| Bishop Martin Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 2.7 / 5 |
| Banks Methodist School | Methodist | 2.7 / 5 |
| Ormskirk West End School | Mixed | 2.3 / 5 |
| Little Digmoor Primary School | Mixed | 2.1 / 5 |
| St Richard's Catholic Primary School, Skelmersdale | Roman Catholic | 1.9 / 5 |
| Hesketh-With-Becconsall All Saints CofE School | Church of England | 1.5 / 5 |
| St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 1.0 / 5 |
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.