St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Great Eccleston
St Mary's Road, Great Eccleston, Preston, PR3 0ZJOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)
St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Great Eccleston is a primary school in Preston for ages 4 to 11. It is one of the 692 schools in Lancashire. It ranks 43rd of 106 primary schools in Preston. Its latest Ofsted rating is Good, from an inspection in October 2011.
Ofsted inspection
Inspected 12 October 2011, report published 8 November 2011
- Overall effectiveness
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years provision
- Good
What Ofsted said
From the inspection on 1 July 2025
Pupils are well known and celebrated at this inclusive, close-knit school. Pupils say that the school is a fun and exciting place to be. They arrive cheerfully each day and enjoy their time in this thriving hub of the community. Pupils benefit greatly from the warm, caring interactions that they have with each other and with adults in school. Older and younger pupils play joyfully together at breaktimes. Throughout the school, pupils welcome visitors with kind words and ready smiles. Pupils appreciate their learning. They are attentive in lessons. Many pupils meet the school's high expectations for their academic and wider achievement. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school places great emphasis on helping to prepare pupils for life beyond the academic. Pupils learn important life skills such as teamwork and independence through residential visits in key stage 2. Pupils throughout the school learn about staying safe, both online and in their local community. The school enhances this learning through activities and trips. For example, pupils learn how to ride bikes safely on the road and visit a Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) station to learn about water safety.
What the school should improve
- In some subjects, the curriculum does not set out the precise knowledge that pupils should learn and when this should happen. Occasionally, this prevents some pupils from developing a deep and rich body of subject knowledge. The school should refine its curriculum thinking in these subjects so that staff are clear about the important knowledge that pupils should know and remember and when this should be taught.
- Sometimes, errors in pupils' work go unaddressed, notably in spellings and in their grammar and handwriting. This impedes pupils' application of their foundational knowledge in writing across the full breadth of curriculum subjects. The school should ensure that staff have the appropriate knowledge and guidance to consistently identify and address gaps in pupils' knowledge to improve the accuracy of pupils' written work.
Exam results
SATs results (key stage 2), 2024/25
8 pupils took the tests
Pupil numbers and mix
44 pupils on roll, with places for 54
Schools near St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Great Eccleston
| School | Distance | Ofsted | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Anne's Copp CofE Primary School, Great Eccleston | 0.6 miles | Ofsted: Good | 62% met the expected standard |
| St Michael's-On-Wyre Church of England Primary School & Nursery | 2 miles | Ofsted: Good | 67% met the expected standard |
| Inskip St Peter's Church of England Voluntary Aided School | 2 miles | Ofsted: Good | 69% met the expected standard |
| Singleton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School | 3 miles | Ofsted: Good | 71% met the expected standard |
| Treales Church of England Primary School | 4 miles | Report card: Needs attention to expected standard | 57% met the expected standard |
School details
- School type
- Academy converter
- Sector
- Academy
- Trust
- THE BLESSED EDWARD BAMBER CATHOLIC MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
- Age range
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Nursery classes
- No
- Headteacher
- Mrs Jennifer Birch
- Phone
- 01995670364
- Address
- St Mary's Road, Great Eccleston, Preston, PR3 0ZJ
- Local authority
- Lancashire
- URN
- 149264
School details from Get Information about Schools, 17 September 2026. Ofsted outcomes published to 31 August 2026. Exam results for 2024/25 from the Department for Education. Pupil mix from the school census, 2025/26.