School Chooser

St Maria Goretti Catholic Primary School, Preston

Primary · ages 2-11MixedAcademyRoman Catholic196 pupilsNurseryPrestonLancashire
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredThere isn't enough published data yet. To get a score, a school needs results or an inspection plus at least one other figure.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, January 2024
Reached the expected level at 1168%England 63%
Attendance93.6%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families33%A bit more than most schools
Places26 spare196 pupils, 222 places
Pupils on roll196Census January 2026

St Maria Goretti Catholic Primary School, Preston is a converter academy in Preston for boys and girls aged 2 to 11. It has 196 pupils and room for 222. About 33 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit more than at most schools. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2024.

Gamull Lane, Ribbleton, Preston, PR2 6SJ01772 700052smgprimary.co.ukMrs Amanda Rich headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 31 January 2024, 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

31 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. These are the results of St Maria Goretti Catholic Primary School, Preston, the school this one replaced.

Reached the expected level at 1168%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level3%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score107.0
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: 56%56%20172018: 63%63%20182019: 47%47%20192023: 75%75%20232024: 63%63%20242025: 68%68%2025
Since 2017: +12%
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure2025†2024†2023†2019†2018†2017†LancashireEngland
Pupils tested313024302727
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths68%63%75%47%63%56%61%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths3%10%21%3%4%7%8%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score107.0106.0109.0101.0105.0104.0105.2105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score105.0103.0105.0102.0105.0104.0104.2104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score106.0105.0107.0101.0104.0105.0104.9105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard77%90%88%60%85%74%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard74%67%83%70%74%74%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)74%77%79%73%74%74%
Reading progressReading progress score+3.4-1.2+1.5+1.2
Maths progressMaths progress score+0.2-1.3+2.2+1.3
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged60%64%55%40%50%36%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged75%63%92%53%73%77%

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 Maria Goretti Catholic Primary School, Preston, the school this one replaced in January 2026. 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. 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
60%75%
Gap 15 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
47%88%
Gap 41 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
7%3%
Gap 4 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.

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.

Pupils on roll196Census January 2026
Places22288% full
Pupils from low-income families33%33% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English29%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support13%25 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan6%11 pupils with a plan
Average class size24.07 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)32%£96,100 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls93 / 103
White British pupils50%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 25.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 30.0 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Other difficulty or disability (16), language and communications needs (10), Autistic spectrum disorder (5), emotional and mental health (2), Moderate learning difficulty (1), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (1).

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 93.6% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance93.6%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school18.4%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Missed without permission2.8%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/25†2023/24†2022/23†2021/22†2020/21†2018/19†England
Sessions missedOverall absence6.4%6.2%6.0%6.1%5.1%3.8%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.5%4.2%3.8%4.2%3.6%2.3%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence2.8%1.9%2.2%1.8%1.5%1.6%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence18.4%18.3%18.3%13.5%14.1%8.8%12.8%

† These attendance figures are for St Maria Goretti Catholic Primary School, Preston, the school this one replaced in January 2026. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Money

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£7,152England £7,738. Total £1.5m
Income per pupil£7,060England £7,697. Total £1.5m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,372England £3,480
Money in reserve8%A healthy amount put by: £122k, £586 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out-£19kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£7,152spent 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 m57312 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate154 per 1,000 people69% higher than the England average
Typical house price£200,000Preston
Nearest bus stop200 mRothwell Crescent, 10 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
Preston Grange Primary SchoolCouncil430 m183Report card 202612Compare
Brookfield Community Primary SchoolCouncil520 m196Good 202261Compare
Moor Nook Community Primary SchoolCouncil810 m187Good 20223Compare
Preston Greenlands Community Primary SchoolCouncil0.6 miles191No overall grade 202519Compare
The Blessed Sacrament Catholic Primary School, PrestonAcademy0.6 miles393Report card 20262Compare
Longsands Community Primary SchoolCouncil0.7 miles213Report card 202532Compare
Holme Slack Community Primary SchoolCouncil1.1 miles199Report card 202613Compare
Brockholes Wood Community Primary School and NurseryCouncil1.2 miles191Good 202435Compare

Questions parents ask

Is St Maria Goretti Catholic Primary School, Preston a good school?

St Maria Goretti Catholic Primary School, Preston doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it good at its last inspection in January 2024.

What is St Maria Goretti Catholic Primary School, Preston's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated St Maria Goretti Catholic Primary School, Preston good at its last full inspection on 31 January 2024.

How good are St Maria Goretti Catholic Primary School, Preston's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 68% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 3% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does St Maria Goretti Catholic Primary School, Preston have?

196 pupils aged 2 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 222 places, so it is 88% full.

What is attendance like at St Maria Goretti Catholic Primary School, Preston?

Pupils were in school 93.6% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 18% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at St Maria Goretti Catholic Primary School, Preston?

The average class had 24.0 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
Gamull Lane, Ribbleton, Preston, PR2 6SJ
Telephone
01772 700052
Website
www.smgprimary.co.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Amanda Rich
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 2-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Roman Catholic, Diocese of Lancaster
Multi-academy trust
Mater Ecclesiae Catholic Multi-Academy Trust (17 schools)
Local authority
Lancashire
Ward
Brookfield
Constituency
Preston
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 January 2026 (academy converter)
URN
151966 · LAESTAB 8883645 · UKPRN 10098573
Formerly
St Maria Goretti Catholic Primary School, Preston

Where these figures come from