Moorside Community Primary Academy School

About Moorside Community Primary Academy School

Moorside Community Primary Academy School sits within the Lancashire local authority, a large county with 480 primary schools. Among those, it ranks 272nd, placing it in the bottom half of its peer group. The top-performing schools nearby include Crawford Village Primary School, New Longton All Saints CofE Primary School, and St George's Church of England Primary School in Chorley, all of which score higher on the same ranking metric. Moorside’s own ranking score of 57 puts it in the bottom 50% nationally, though context matters: the school serves a community with 49% of pupils eligible for free school meals, well above the national average. Its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2025 rated the school Good overall, with personal development judged Outstanding. That’s a shift from its previous inspection in 2011, when it was rated Outstanding across the board. The 2025 inspection was ungraded, confirming standards were maintained, so the Good rating remains current.

Academically, Moorside’s Key Stage 2 results for 2023/24 show 57% of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths combined. That’s slightly below the Lancashire local authority average of 60%. The school’s average scores in reading (103) and maths (105) are close to the national benchmark of 100, and 13% of pupils achieved the higher standard in all three subjects. In maths, 83% met the expected level, and 23% reached the higher standard, which is a solid showing. Reading and writing both saw 77% of pupils at the expected level, with 23% hitting the higher bar in each. Progress scores are not available in the data, so it’s hard to say how much value the school adds relative to starting points. The school’s ranking in West Lancashire is 33rd out of 48 primaries, and nationally it sits in the 65th percentile, meaning about a third of schools nationwide perform better on this measure.

Moorside is a mixed, state-funded primary for children aged 2 to 11, with a nursery on site. It’s oversubscribed: for 2025/26, there were 56 applications for 21 places, with all 21 first-preference applicants offered a spot. That’s a ratio of 2.67 applicants per place, so competition is real. Facilities include a dining hall, music rooms, an ICT suite, sports hall, and a chapel. Sports on offer include gymnastics, athletics, netball, cricket, and rounders, while clubs cover drama, book club, and gardening. The school has identified SEND provisions for specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, social and emotional mental health needs, and speech, language, and communication needs. Parent View responses from 61 families are overwhelmingly positive: 95% would recommend the school, and 84% strongly agreed their child is happy. On SEND support, 91% of those who answered strongly agreed the school provides what’s needed. This is a school that suits families looking for a community-focused primary with strong pastoral care, particularly for children with SEND, though academic outcomes sit around the local average.

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