Sherwood Primary School

About Sherwood Primary School

If you're a parent considering Sherwood Primary School, the feedback from other families is a strong starting point. In the most recent Parent View survey, covering September 2024 to September 2025, a remarkable 98% of the 94 respondents said they would recommend the school. That level of satisfaction is backed up by the detail: 87% strongly agreed that their child is happy, and 89% strongly agreed that their child feels safe. The school is also clearly in high demand. For the 2025/26 academic year, Sherwood received 261 applications for just 59 places, an oversubscription ratio of 4.42 to one. Of those, 80 families put it as their first preference, and 54 of those were offered a place. It's a school that local parents clearly want to get into, and once there, they report a very positive experience.

Academically, Sherwood Primary School is performing at an exceptionally high level. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 87% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, well above the Lancashire local authority average of 60%. The school also excels at stretching its pupils: 26% achieved the higher standard in all three subjects. In individual subjects, 94% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, with 48% reaching the higher standard, while in maths 90% met the expected standard and 53% achieved the higher standard. Average scaled scores were 109 in both reading and maths. This strong performance places Sherwood 3rd out of 45 primary schools in Preston, and in the top 5% nationally. Its most recent Ofsted inspection in October 2024 awarded the top grade of Outstanding across every category inspected, including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management.

The school is a state-funded, mixed primary for children aged 4 to 11, with no religious character. It is currently slightly over capacity with 427 pupils against a capacity of 420. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is 9.6%, below the national average. Sherwood offers a broad range of facilities including a library, ICT suite, art studios, music rooms, a gymnasium, and playing fields. Sports on offer include gymnastics, athletics, swimming, and cricket, while clubs range from choir and chess to eco club and film club. For families with children who have special educational needs, the school lists provisions for specific learning difficulties, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language needs, physical disabilities, and autistic spectrum disorder. Given its high demand and strong academic outcomes, this is a school best suited to families who can secure a place through proximity or a strong application, and who value a proven track record of both pupil happiness and academic excellence.

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