Ashton Community Science College

About Ashton Community Science College

Ashton Community Science College holds a Good rating from Ofsted, a grade it has maintained consistently across its two most recent inspections, including an ungraded visit in 2023 that confirmed the school remains Good. The most telling academic metric is its Progress 8 score of -0.07, which places pupils’ progress very close to the national average. This is a solid result for a school where over a third of students (36.8%) are eligible for free school meals, a figure well above the national average. The score also sits above the Lancashire local authority average of -0.11, meaning pupils here make slightly better progress than their peers in other state schools across the county. Nationally, the school ranks in the 54th percentile for Progress 8, placing it squarely in the middle of the pack. In Preston specifically, it ranks 7th out of 11 secondary schools on this measure, which gives a fair picture of where it sits locally.

Looking deeper into the 2023/24 exam results, the school’s Attainment 8 score is 40.3, and just under half of pupils (49%) achieved a grade 5 or above in English and maths, with 30.5% reaching the higher grade 5 benchmark. The English Baccalaureate entry rate is low at 11.9%, and only 9.3% of pupils achieved the EBacc at grade 4 or above. The Progress 8 breakdown shows some variation by subject: pupils made slightly positive progress in the EBacc subjects (+0.33) but weaker progress in maths (-0.27) and English (-0.16). The school’s overall Progress 8 banding is rated as Average, which aligns with the Ofsted judgement. There is no sixth form here, so all students leave at 16, and the school’s capacity of 800 is exceeded by its current roll of 868 pupils, reflecting genuine local demand.

The school is heavily oversubscribed: for 158 places in 2025/26, there were 371 total applications, with 185 first-preference applications and 148 first-preference offers made. That gives an oversubscription ratio of 2.35, so competition for places is real. Facilities are strong for a state secondary, including a swimming pool, astro turf, sports hall, science labs, and a chapel. The sports offer is broad, with rowing and gymnastics alongside more traditional football and rugby, and there is a good range of clubs including the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Young Enterprise, and an orchestra. SEND provision is comprehensive, covering specific learning difficulties, autism, speech and language needs, and physical disabilities, plus a resourced provision. This is a school that suits families looking for a well-subscribed, inclusive community school with decent academic outcomes and strong extracurricular breadth, particularly for pupils who benefit from structured support.

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