School Chooser

Ribbleton Avenue Methodist Junior School

Primary · ages 7-11MixedMethodist281 pupilsPrestonLancashire
School Chooser Score
12
Well below
similar schools
Likely range 7 to 21, so it could be “below”
Out of 100. Better than 18% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
OfstedAs expected teachingOfsted report card, June 2026
Reached the expected level at 1149%England 63%
Attendance94.6%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families41%Far more than most schools
PlacesFull281 pupils, 280 places
Pupils per teacher21.6School workforce census

Ribbleton Avenue Methodist Junior School is a Methodist school (voluntary controlled) in Preston for boys and girls aged 7 to 11. It has 281 pupils, 1 more than it has places for. About 41 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 12 out of 100. That puts it well below schools like it, ahead of 18% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted visited in June 2026 and gave it a report card, which is below.

Emerson Road, Preston, PR1 5SN01772 792083ramjs.lancs.sch.ukMrs Fran Nickson headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted visited on 9 June 2026. Instead of one overall word, it now gives a grade for each part of school life. Read the full report on Ofsted's website.

TeachingOfsted calls this “curriculum and teaching”
As expected
Achievement
Needs attention
Behaviour and attendanceOfsted calls this “attendance and behaviour”
As expected
Support for every childOfsted calls this “inclusion”
As expected
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development and wellbeing”
As expected
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and governance”
As expected
SafeguardingAre pupils kept safe?
Pupils are kept safe
Met
Ofsted's scale:ExceptionalStrong standardExpected standardNeeds attentionUrgent improvement

Ofsted says these new grades can't be lined up against the old one-word grades.

Earlier inspections (1)
DateTypeOutcome
18 May 2022S5 InspectionGood

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

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

Reached the expected level at 1149%
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 score104.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score102.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 50%50%20172018: 49%49%20182019: 54%54%20192023: 38%38%20232024: 37%37%20242025: 49%49%2025
Since 2017: -1%Steady overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017LancashireEngland
Pupils tested716866685158
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths49%37%38%54%49%50%61%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths6%1%6%7%2%2%8%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score104.0102.0101.0102.0102.099.0105.2105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score102.0101.0103.0102.0102.0102.0104.2104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score104.0103.0102.0103.0104.0104.0104.9105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard70%66%50%63%63%52%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard58%57%67%71%73%74%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)59%44%55%71%73%71%
Reading progressReading progress score-1.8-1.8-2.4-3.3
Maths progressMaths progress score+0.4-2.0-1.3-0.2
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged30%24%25%40%46%46%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged61%46%47%66%52%53%

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. 2 of the 4 gaps are 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
30%61%
Gap 31 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
35%62%
Gap 27 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Pupils learning English vs all pupils
52%49%
Gap 3 ptsEngland 4 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
4%6%
Gap 2 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 Methodist school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

Full280 pupils for 267 places, 2024/25
105% full

The school is full, with 13 more pupils than it has places for. More families apply than can get in, so things like how close you live and whether an older brother or sister is already here decide who gets a place. Pupil numbers have grown by 7% 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 roll281Census January 2026
Places280100% full
Pupils from low-income families41%41% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English59%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support16%46 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan4%11 pupils with a plan
Average class size35.18 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils100%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)41%£173,600 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls155 / 126
White British pupils27%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Moderate learning difficulty (24), emotional and mental health (14), language and communications needs (7), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (5), Autistic spectrum disorder (2), Specific learning difficulty (2).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll281276278276268259
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals41%39%43%44%44%43%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language59%44%49%46%52%54%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support13%13%12%7%9%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans4%5%2%3%2%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.6% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance94.6%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school12.8%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils7.62024/25, 1 permanent exclusion
Missed without permission1.1%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence5.4%6.5%6.2%6.0%5.1%4.9%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence4.3%4.8%5.0%4.5%3.8%3.3%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.1%1.7%1.2%1.4%1.3%1.6%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence12.8%18.6%17.6%17.3%13.7%11.8%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate7.66.51.15.22.3
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions11001

Staff and money

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

Teachers13.0full-time equivalent, 15 people
Pupils per teacher21.6Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants13.2full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£51,442
Teachers who left in the year7%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher13.62024/25

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£7,383England £7,738. Total £2.0m
Income per pupil£7,479England £7,697. Total £2.1m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,175England £3,480
Money in reserve11%A healthy amount put by: £227k, £824 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out+£27kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£7,383spent 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 m1,02412 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate165 per 1,000 people81% higher than the England average
Typical house price£200,000Preston
Nearest bus stop60 mAcregate Lane, 7 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
Ribbleton Avenue Infant SchoolCouncil50 m244No overall grade 202429Compare
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, PrestonAcademy490 m347Report card 202636Compare
St Matthew's Church of England Primary AcademyAcademy620 m415No overall grade 20258Compare
St Gregory's Catholic Primary School, PrestonRoman Catholic860 m206Good 202366Compare
Deepdale Community Primary SchoolCouncil930 m696Report card 202633Compare
Holme Slack Community Primary SchoolCouncil940 m199Report card 202613Compare
Fishwick Primary SchoolCouncil940 m167No overall grade 20245Compare
St Teresa's Catholic Primary School, PrestonAcademy940 m214Report card 20259Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Ribbleton Avenue Methodist Junior School with the 49 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 49 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats18%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the bottom quarter of its group. Its score of 12 is 30 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 1 · middle 42 · highest 97100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 12 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 12% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 7 to 21. That range is wide enough that the school could sit in the next band, so take the band as a rough guide rather than a verdict. 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%below
-0.21
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 71 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%well below
-0.23
Ofsted report card, 0.3 years old
Progress pupils make20%below
-0.11
DfE progress measure; 71 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%above
+0.06
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%in line
-0.01
2024/25; 297 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%well below
-0.12
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 71 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 Ribbleton Avenue Methodist Junior School a good school?

The figures are weak. Ribbleton Avenue Methodist Junior School scores 12 out of 100. That is well below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 18% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 7 to 21, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is Ribbleton Avenue Methodist Junior School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted no longer gives schools one overall grade. When it visited on 9 June 2026 it rated teaching as as expected, achievement as needs attention, behaviour and attendance as as expected, leadership as as expected.

How good are Ribbleton Avenue Methodist Junior School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 49% 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 Ribbleton Avenue Methodist Junior School have?

281 pupils aged 7 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 280 places, so it is 100% full.

Is Ribbleton Avenue Methodist Junior School oversubscribed?

Probably. The school was full in 2024/25, with 13 more pupils than places. How close you live, and the school's other admissions rules, decide who gets in.

What is attendance like at Ribbleton Avenue Methodist Junior School?

Pupils were in school 94.6% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 13% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Ribbleton Avenue Methodist Junior School?

The average class had 35.1 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 100% of classes 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
Emerson Road, Preston, PR1 5SN
Telephone
01772 792083
Website
www.ramjs.lancs.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Fran Nickson
Type of school
Methodist school (voluntary controlled) (Voluntary controlled school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 7-11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Methodist
Local authority
Lancashire
Ward
St Matthew's
Constituency
Preston
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
119354 · LAESTAB 8883001 · UKPRN 10078138

Where these figures come from