English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Preston

About English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Preston

English Martyrs Catholic Primary School in Preston sits within the Lancashire local authority, where it ranks 23rd out of 45 primary schools in the Preston area and 237th out of 480 across the wider Lancashire authority. Among its top-performing local peers are Crawford Village Primary School, New Longton All Saints CofE Primary School, and St George’s Church of England Primary School in Chorley. The school is a state-funded Roman Catholic primary for mixed genders aged 3 to 11, with a nursery provision on site. It is led by headteacher Annalisa Howarth and currently operates at full capacity with 236 pupils. Just over a fifth of its students (22.9%) are eligible for free school meals, which is slightly above the national average for primary schools. The nearest outstanding-rated school is The Olive School, Preston, located 1.5 kilometres away.

In its most recent graded inspection in 2017, Ofsted rated the school Good overall, with Good marks for leadership and management, early years provision, and overall effectiveness. An ungraded inspection in March 2023 confirmed the school remains Good. At Key Stage 2 in the 2023/24 academic year, 60% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths combined, which matches the Lancashire local authority average of 60%. However, only 7% reached the higher standard in all three subjects. In reading, 80% met the expected standard and 27% achieved the higher standard; in maths, 80% met the expected standard and 33% reached the higher standard; in writing, 67% met the expected standard and 10% achieved the higher standard. The average scaled scores were 105 in reading and 106 in maths. Nationally, the school ranks in the bottom half of primary schools, sitting at the 56th percentile.

The school offers a range of facilities including music rooms, an ICT suite, a sensory room, a sports hall, playing fields, and a chapel. Sports provision includes rounders, swimming, netball, cross country, tennis, and athletics, while clubs cover science, choir, and drama. The school’s SEND provisions are broad, supporting pupils with moderate and severe learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, visual impairment, and physical disabilities. For the 2025/26 intake, the school was oversubscribed: 79 applications were received for 29 places, with 27 offers made to first-preference applicants from 33 first-preference requests, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.72. This is a school that suits families seeking a faith-based primary with strong SEND support and a full range of on-site facilities, though those prioritising top academic outcomes may want to consider higher-ranked local alternatives.

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