St Ignatius' Catholic Primary School, Preston
St Ignatius' Catholic Primary School, Preston is a converter academy in Preston for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 193 pupils, 4 more than it has places for. About 24 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, about the same as most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2022.
St Ignatius Square, Preston, PR1 1TT01772 555252saint-ignatius.comMrs Luena Archibald headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 25 May 2022, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Good overall.
This inspection is more than 4 years old. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of one grade.
Results
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025
28 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. These are the results of St Ignatius' Catholic Primary School, the school this one replaced.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025† | 2024† | 2023† | 2019† | 2018† | 2017† | Lancashire | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 28 | 23 | 24 | 22 | 27 | 26 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 54% | 57% | 67% | 64% | 52% | 35% | 61% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | 14% | 4% | 4% | 5% | 4% | 0% | 8% | 8% |
| Reading scoreReading average scaled score | 105.0 | 107.0 | 103.0 | 104.0 | 99.0 | 98.0 | 105.2 | 105.6 |
| Maths scoreMaths average scaled score | 107.0 | 104.0 | 105.0 | 105.0 | 102.0 | 103.0 | 104.2 | 104.6 |
| Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score | 105.0 | 105.0 | 106.0 | 112.0 | 105.0 | 105.0 | 104.9 | 105.2 |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | 75% | 78% | 75% | 64% | 56% | 35% | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | 93% | 74% | 83% | 73% | 63% | 65% | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | 57% | 61% | 75% | 68% | 70% | 54% | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | -1.9 | -0.1 | -6.5 | -3.9 | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | +0.5 | -0.3 | -2.0 | +0.5 | – | – |
| Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged | 13% | 22% | 71% | 50% | 33% | 50% | – | – |
| Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged | 70% | 79% | 65% | 71% | 57% | 28% | – | – |
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.
† These results are for St Ignatius' Catholic Primary School, the school this one replaced in May 2025. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
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. 1 of the 4 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
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.
The school is full, with 4 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.
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 the school teaches, from the latest school census.
Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 27.3 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 27.8 (England 27.3).
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Specific learning difficulty (11), language and communications needs (10), emotional and mental health (8), Autistic spectrum disorder (7), Moderate learning difficulty (6), Other difficulty or disability (2).
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.2% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25† | 2023/24† | 2022/23† | 2021/22† | 2020/21† | 2018/19† | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 4.8% | 5.9% | 7.0% | 5.5% | 4.4% | 6.2% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 3.7% | 4.3% | 4.8% | 3.8% | 3.2% | 4.5% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 1.2% | 1.7% | 2.2% | 1.7% | 1.2% | 1.7% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 11.4% | 19.1% | 17.4% | 17.0% | 12.4% | 23.4% | 12.8% |
† These attendance figures are for St Ignatius' Catholic Primary School, the school this one replaced in May 2025. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
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
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.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Preston | Roman Catholic | 740 m | 229 | Good 2023 | 20 | Compare |
| Deepdale Community Primary School | Council | 830 m | 696 | Report card 2026 | 33 | Compare |
| St Augustine's Catholic Primary School, Preston | Academy | 980 m | 273 | Report card 2026 | 51 | Compare |
| St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Preston | Academy | 0.8 miles | 347 | Report card 2026 | 36 | Compare |
| Frenchwood Community Primary School | Council | 0.8 miles | 326 | Report card 2026 | 9 | Compare |
| St Gregory's Catholic Primary School, Preston | Roman Catholic | 0.8 miles | 206 | Good 2023 | 66 | Compare |
| St Matthew's Church of England Primary Academy | Academy | 0.9 miles | 415 | No overall grade 2025 | 8 | Compare |
| Ribbleton Avenue Infant School | Council | 0.9 miles | 244 | No overall grade 2024 | 29 | Compare |
Questions parents ask
Is St Ignatius' Catholic Primary School, Preston a good school?
St Ignatius' Catholic Primary School, Preston doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it good at its last inspection in May 2022.
What is St Ignatius' Catholic Primary School, Preston's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated St Ignatius' Catholic Primary School, Preston good at its last full inspection on 25 May 2022. That was more than four years ago. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of a single grade.
How good are St Ignatius' Catholic Primary School, Preston's SATs results?
In summer 2025, 54% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 14% went further and reached the higher level.
How many pupils does St Ignatius' Catholic Primary School, Preston have?
193 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 189 places, so it is 102% full.
Is St Ignatius' Catholic Primary School, Preston oversubscribed?
Probably. The school was full in 2024/25, with 4 more pupils than places. How close you live, and the school's other admissions rules, decide who gets in.
What is attendance like at St Ignatius' Catholic Primary School, Preston?
Pupils were in school 95.2% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 11% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at St Ignatius' Catholic Primary School, Preston?
The average class had 27.6 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.
Does St Ignatius' Catholic Primary School, Preston have a breakfast club?
Yes. It is on the government's free breakfast club programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- St Ignatius Square, Preston, PR1 1TT
- Telephone
- 01772 555252
- Website
- www.saint-ignatius.com
- Headteacher
- Mrs Luena Archibald
- Free breakfast club
- Yes: on the government's programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school (listed since September 2026).
- Type of school
- Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
- Phase
- Primary school, ages 4-11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic, Diocese of Lancaster
- Multi-academy trust
- Mater Ecclesiae Catholic Multi-Academy Trust (17 schools)
- Local authority
- Lancashire
- Ward
- St Matthew's
- Constituency
- Preston
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 May 2025 (academy converter)
- URN
- 151562 · LAESTAB 8883647 · UKPRN 10097221
- Formerly
- St Ignatius' Catholic Primary School
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- Year 6 results: DfE key stage 2 tables, 2024/25.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- Breakfast club: DfE list of schools on the free breakfast club programme.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.