School Chooser

Our Lady and St Gerard's Roman Catholic Primary School, Lostock Hall

Primary · ages 3-11MixedRoman Catholic341 pupilsNurseryPrestonLancashire
School Chooser Score
38
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 21 to 59
Out of 100. Better than 40% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedNo overall gradeLast Ofsted inspection, October 2024
Reached the expected level at 1148%England 63%
Attendance96.1%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families19%A bit fewer than most schools
Places37 spare341 pupils, 378 places
Pupils per teacher19.4School workforce census

Our Lady and St Gerard's Roman Catholic Primary School, Lostock Hall is a Roman Catholic school (voluntary aided) in Preston for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 341 pupils and room for 378. About 19 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit fewer than at most schools. We give it 38 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 40% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2024, no overall grade.

Lourdes Avenue, Lostock Hall, Preston, PR5 5TB01772 335025ourlady-st-gerards.lancs.sch.ukMiss Kerry Harvey headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 1 October 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Not judged Between September 2024 and November 2025, Ofsted graded each area but stopped giving one overall word.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
Outstanding
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

48 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1148%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level6%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score103.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score103.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 65%65%20172018: 68%68%20182019: 55%55%20192023: 64%64%20232024: 53%53%20242025: 48%48%2025
Since 2017: -17%Declining overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017LancashireEngland
Pupils tested484545494131
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths48%53%64%55%68%65%61%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths6%7%16%2%10%6%8%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score103.0104.0106.0103.0105.0105.0105.2105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score103.0104.0106.0102.0103.0103.0104.2104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score103.0103.0105.0104.0105.0105.0104.9105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard69%69%84%73%80%87%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard67%78%80%71%76%71%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)56%62%73%80%83%77%
Reading progressReading progress score+0.2-0.6+0.3+0.5
Maths progressMaths progress score+1.6-2.6-1.1-1.2
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged20%43%43%30%50%43%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged55%55%68%62%73%71%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. None of the gaps is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
20%55%
Gap 35 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
42%54%
Gap 12 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%6%
Gap 6 ptsEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published. As a Roman Catholic school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

A few spare places328 pupils for 367 places, 2024/25
89% full

About 39 places were empty, so most families who apply get in, though a popular year group can still fill up. Pupil numbers have grown by 5% since 2021/22, so places are getting harder to come by.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Lancashire council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll341Census January 2026
Places37890% full
Pupils from low-income families19%19% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English4%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support12%41 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan3%9 pupils with a plan
Average class size22.315 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)22%£106,950 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls164 / 177
White British pupils88%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 19.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 24.8 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Moderate learning difficulty (11), emotional and mental health (9), Autistic spectrum disorder (8), language and communications needs (7), Other difficulty or disability (5), Specific learning difficulty (3).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll341345360356351337
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals19%18%17%14%15%13%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language4%4%5%3%2%2%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support10%11%10%9%8%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans3%2%1%1%1%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 96.1% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance96.1%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school6.7%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils5.82024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission0.8%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence3.9%4.3%4.0%5.0%2.3%3.2%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.1%3.5%3.3%4.5%1.9%2.8%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.8%0.8%0.6%0.5%0.4%0.4%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence6.7%8.1%6.0%12.6%6.2%6.0%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate5.81.70.00.33.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers17.2full-time equivalent, 18 people
Pupils per teacher19.4Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants10.9full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£48,504
Teachers who left in the year17%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher4.32024/25

Money

From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£6,235England £7,738. Total £2.1m
Income per pupil£6,154England £7,697. Total £2.1m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,398England £3,480
Money in reserve8%A healthy amount put by: £173k, £511 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out-£27kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£6,235spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m29012 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate59 per 1,000 people35% lower than the England average
Typical house price£216,000South Ribble
Nearest bus stop200 mWateringpool Lane, 13 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Lostock Hall Community Primary SchoolFoundation500 m422Good 202477Compare
Farington Moss St. Paul's C.E. Primary SchoolChurch of England950 m184Good 202275Compare
Walton-le-Dale Community Primary SchoolCouncil0.9 miles446Good 202465Compare
Kingsfold Primary SchoolCouncil1.1 miles126Good 202212Compare
St Mary's and St Benedict's Roman Catholic Primary SchoolRoman Catholic1.1 miles251No overall grade 202511Compare
St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary SchoolRoman Catholic1.3 miles175Requires improvement 202414Compare
Penwortham Middleforth Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England1.3 miles204Good 202340Compare
Cuerden Church School, Bamber BridgeChurch of England/Methodist1.3 miles195Good 202327Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Our Lady and St Gerard's Roman Catholic Primary School, Lostock Hall with the 47 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 47 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats40%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the lower half of its group. Its score of 38 is 5 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 4 · middle 43 · highest 96100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 47 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Our Lady and St Gerard's Roman Catholic Primary School, Lostock Hall, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.

SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Marus Bridge Primary SchoolAcademy14.4 miles400Not inspected85Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 38 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 38% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 21 to 59. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years25%in line
-0.09
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 48 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%in line
+0.05
Ofsted grade, 1.9 years old
Progress pupils make20%in line
+0.05
DfE progress measure; 48 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%well below
-0.17
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%above
+0.09
2024/25; 300 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%below
-0.08
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 48 pupils
What parents say0%no data

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Our Lady and St Gerard's Roman Catholic Primary School, Lostock Hall a good school?

It is about average. Our Lady and St Gerard's Roman Catholic Primary School, Lostock Hall scores 38 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 40% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 21 to 59, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Our Lady and St Gerard's Roman Catholic Primary School, Lostock Hall's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Our Lady and St Gerard's Roman Catholic Primary School, Lostock Hall not judged at its last full inspection on 1 October 2024.

How good are Our Lady and St Gerard's Roman Catholic Primary School, Lostock Hall's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 48% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 6% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Our Lady and St Gerard's Roman Catholic Primary School, Lostock Hall have?

341 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 378 places, so it is 90% full.

Is Our Lady and St Gerard's Roman Catholic Primary School, Lostock Hall oversubscribed?

Probably not. 39 places were empty in 2024/25 (11% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Our Lady and St Gerard's Roman Catholic Primary School, Lostock Hall?

Pupils were in school 96.1% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 7% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Our Lady and St Gerard's Roman Catholic Primary School, Lostock Hall?

The average class had 22.3 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Lourdes Avenue, Lostock Hall, Preston, PR5 5TB
Telephone
01772 335025
Website
www.ourlady-st-gerards.lancs.sch.uk
Headteacher
Miss Kerry Harvey
Type of school
Roman Catholic school (voluntary aided) (Voluntary aided school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Roman Catholic, Diocese of Salford
Local authority
Lancashire
Ward
Lostock Hall
Constituency
Ribble Valley
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
119639 · LAESTAB 8883736 · UKPRN 10079893

Where these figures come from