St Wilfrid's Cof E Primary School

About St Wilfrid's Cof E Primary School

If you're looking for a primary school where parents feel strongly positive, St Wilfrid's CofE Primary School in Lancaster makes a compelling case. In the most recent Parent View survey, covering responses from September 2024 to September 2025, a remarkable 95% of the 81 parents who responded said they would recommend the school. That's a very high level of endorsement. Digging into the detail, 96% of parents agreed or strongly agreed that their child is happy and feels safe, and 93% felt the school has high expectations for their child. The school is also clearly popular locally: for the 2025/26 admissions round, it received 60 applications for just 28 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.14. All 27 first-preference applicants were offered a place, but the overall numbers show demand significantly outstrips supply, so getting a place is competitive.

Academically, St Wilfrid's performs solidly against national benchmarks. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 63% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined. This is slightly above the Lancashire local authority average of 60% for similar schools. The school's strongest individual subject was reading, where 80% of pupils reached the expected standard and 34% achieved the higher standard. In maths, 71% met the expected standard, with an average scaled score of 103. Writing was the weakest area, with 66% at expected and just 3% at the higher standard. Nationally, the school sits in the 48th percentile, placing it in the middle of the pack. Its most recent Ofsted inspection in November 2024 judged all key areas as Good, including behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership. The previous inspection in 2020 had also rated the school Good overall, with personal development rated Outstanding at that time.

The school offers a range of practical facilities that support its curriculum, including a Forest School, a gymnasium, a sports hall, an ICT suite, and a chapel. For families with children who have additional needs, the school lists SEND provisions for specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, speech and language needs, hearing impairment, social and emotional mental health needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. However, only 15% of Parent View respondents said their child has SEND, and while 75% of those agreed the school gives the support needed, 17% said they didn't know. Extracurricular options include clubs for art, coding and science, plus sports such as netball, tennis, cross country and athletics. This is a Church of England primary with a strong local reputation, reflected in its oversubscription. It will suit families who value a school with high parent satisfaction, a Good Ofsted rating, and a clear Christian character, but who are prepared for a competitive admissions process.

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