School Chooser

St Anne's Catholic Primary School

Primary · ages 4-11MixedRoman Catholic189 pupilsNurseryLeylandLancashire
School Chooser Score
34
Below
similar schools
Likely range 16 to 58, so it could be “in line”
Out of 100. Better than 37% of the 50 schools most like it. Getting better year on year.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, October 2022
Reached the expected level at 1163%England 63%
Attendance95.1%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families31%A bit more than most schools
Places21 spare189 pupils, 210 places
Pupils per teacher18.9School workforce census

St Anne's Catholic Primary School is a Roman Catholic school (voluntary aided) in Leyland for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 189 pupils and room for 210. About 31 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit more than at most schools. We give it 34 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 37% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2022.

Slater Lane, Leyland, PR25 1TL01772 422769st-annes-lancs.co.ukMrs E Darnell headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 18 October 2022, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall.

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
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

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

Reached the expected level at 1163%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level0%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score105.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score105.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 39%39%20172018: 45%45%20182019: 31%31%20192023: 30%30%20232024: 33%33%20242025: 63%63%2025
Since 2017: +24%Improving overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017LancashireEngland
Pupils tested302730263133
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths63%33%30%31%45%39%61%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%6%0%8%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score105.0103.0104.099.0105.0101.0105.2105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score105.0102.0102.099.0105.0100.0104.2104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score104.0102.0103.099.0105.0102.0104.9105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard83%70%77%46%74%55%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard83%59%73%38%68%52%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)67%48%30%38%48%52%
Reading progressReading progress score-0.9+0.9+2.0+1.3
Maths progressMaths progress score-1.9-2.1+2.3-1.4
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged38%30%0%33%20%22%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged73%35%41%29%69%60%

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 3 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
38%73%
Gap 35 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
65%62%
Gap 3 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%0%
No gapEngland 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 places189 pupils for 210 places, 2024/25
90% full

About 21 places were empty, so most families who apply get in, though a popular year group can still fill up. Pupil numbers have fallen by 4% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.

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 roll189Census January 2026
Places21090% full
Pupils from low-income families31%31% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English11%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support22%41 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan2%4 pupils with a plan
Average class size27.07 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils14%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)30%£86,800 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls94 / 95
White British pupils78%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 23.7 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 29.5 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Moderate learning difficulty (17), emotional and mental health (11), Specific learning difficulty (7), Autistic spectrum disorder (4), language and communications needs (4), Hearing impairment (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll189190190182187192
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals31%25%27%26%22%25%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language11%12%11%8%9%8%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support27%18%18%12%9%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans2%2%3%1%1%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.1% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance95.1%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school10.1%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils4.22024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.2%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence4.9%5.2%6.1%7.5%4.6%3.3%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.7%4.3%4.6%6.3%3.8%2.4%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.2%0.9%1.5%1.3%0.7%0.9%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence10.1%13.5%19.0%25.6%12.3%4.5%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate4.26.824.25.93.1
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00200

Staff and money

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

Teachers10.0full-time equivalent, 10 people
Pupils per teacher18.9Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants8.2full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£51,649
Teachers who left in the year4%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher0.32024/25

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£7,235England £7,738. Total £1.4m
Income per pupil£7,282England £7,697. Total £1.4m
Spent on teachers per pupil£2,562England £3,480
Money in reserve11%A healthy amount put by: £153k, £805 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out+£8,988it took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£7,235spent 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 m45012 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate111 per 1,000 people22% higher than the England average
Typical house price£216,000South Ribble
Nearest bus stop90 mSt Annes School, 16 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
Seven Stars Primary SchoolCouncil120 m232Good 20229Compare
Leyland St James Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England810 m209Good 202373Compare
Moss Side Primary SchoolCouncil0.6 miles248No overall grade 202471Compare
Leyland St Andrew's Church of England Infant SchoolChurch of England0.6 miles145Good 202368Compare
Woodlea Junior SchoolAcademy0.7 miles217Good 2023Compare
Northbrook Primary AcademyAcademy0.8 miles185Requires improvement 202411Compare
Leyland St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary SchoolRoman Catholic0.9 miles188Good 202437Compare
Leyland Methodist Infant SchoolAcademy1.3 miles156No overall grade 202570Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares St Anne's Catholic Primary 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.

Beats37%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the lower half of its group. Its score of 34 is 8 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 7 · middle 42 · highest 98100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 49 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than St Anne's Catholic Primary School, 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
St Columba's RC Primary SchoolRoman Catholic14.0 miles235Good 202466Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 34 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 34% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 16 to 58. 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
-0.15
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 30 pupils
Ofsted inspection18% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 3.9 years old
Progress pupils make20%below
-0.21
DfE progress measure; 30 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%well above
+0.18
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%in line
+0.03
2024/25; 169 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%below
-0.07
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 30 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 St Anne's Catholic Primary School a good school?

The figures are weak. St Anne's Catholic Primary School scores 34 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 37% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 16 to 58, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been getting better over the last five years.

What is St Anne's Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated St Anne's Catholic Primary School good at its last full inspection on 18 October 2022.

How good are St Anne's Catholic Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 63% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does St Anne's Catholic Primary School have?

189 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 210 places, so it is 90% full.

Is St Anne's Catholic Primary School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 21 places were empty in 2024/25 (10% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at St Anne's Catholic Primary School?

Pupils were in school 95.1% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 10% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at St Anne's Catholic Primary School?

The average class had 27.0 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 14% 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
Slater Lane, Leyland, PR25 1TL
Telephone
01772 422769
Website
www.st-annes-lancs.co.uk
Headteacher
Mrs E Darnell
Type of school
Roman Catholic school (voluntary aided) (Voluntary aided school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Roman Catholic, Archdiocese of Liverpool
Local authority
Lancashire
Ward
Earnshaw Bridge
Constituency
South Ribble
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
119578 · LAESTAB 8883600 · UKPRN 10072719

Where these figures come from