St Stephen's CofE School
South Meadow Lane, Preston, PR1 8JN
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Miss F Greenhalgh
- Diocese
- Diocese of Blackburn
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Preston
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 315
- Pupils on roll
- 331
- URN
- 119358
- Local authority
- Lancashire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01772556306
About this school
St Stephen's CofE School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Preston. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 331 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St Stephen's CofE School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 34 | 43 | 44 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 38% | 47% | 55% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 9% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 41% | 70% | 75% |
| Expected standard in maths | 59% | 70% | 73% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 59% | 72% | 73% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 104.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 102.0 | 103.0 |
| Reading progress | -2.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -1.30 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.70 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How St Stephen's CofE School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Lancashire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 38% | 58.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 47% | 58.3% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 55% | 58.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 7.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 319 |
| 2023/24 | 351 |
| 2024/25 | 347 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Stephen's CofE School compares
St Stephen's CofE School ranked 305th of 445 primary schools in Lancashire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 30% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 17% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 55% | 7.9% | 35.8% | 331 | — |
| St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School | 65% | 3.6% | 14.7% | 175 | 0.6 miles |
| Penwortham Middleforth Church of England Primary School | 61% | 4.4% | 19.5% | 204 | 0.8 miles |
| St Augustine's Catholic Primary School, Preston | 65% | 5.1% | 23% | 273 | 0.8 miles |
| Frenchwood Community Primary School | 39% | 6.9% | 27.4% | 326 | 0.9 miles |
| Cop Lane Church of England Primary School, Penwortham | 66% | 3.4% | 12.6% | 196 | 1.0 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 35.78%
- English as an additional language
- 51.6%
- Overall absence
- 7.93%
- Persistent absence
- 25.17%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Preston
-
Penwortham Middleforth Church of England Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Preston
-
St Augustine's Catholic Primary School, Preston0.8 miles
Primary · Preston
-
Frenchwood Community Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · Preston
-
Cop Lane Church of England Primary School, Penwortham1.0 miles
Primary · Preston
Other schools in Preston
St Stephen's CofE School ranks 76th of the 106 ranked primary schools in Preston.
- Alston Lane Catholic Primary School, Longridge Primary
- Ashton Primary School Primary
- Ashton-on-Ribble St Andrew's Church of England Primary School Primary
- Bamber Bridge St Aidan's Church of England Primary School Primary
- Barton St Lawrence Church of England Primary School Primary
- Bilsborrow John Cross Church of England Primary School Primary
- Brabins Endowed School Primary
- Brindle Gregson Lane Primary School Primary
- Brockholes Wood Community Primary School and Nursery Primary
- Brookfield Community Primary School Primary
- Broughton-in-Amounderness Church of England Primary School Primary
- Calder Vale St John Church of England Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does St Stephen's CofE School teach?
- St Stephen's CofE School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Preston.
- Who is the headteacher of St Stephen's CofE School?
- The headteacher of St Stephen's CofE School is Miss F Greenhalgh, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St Stephen's CofE School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Stephen's CofE School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at St Stephen's CofE School?
- St Stephen's CofE School has 331 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is St Stephen's CofE School full?
- St Stephen's CofE School has capacity for 315 pupils and 331 on roll (105%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is St Stephen's CofE School a faith school?
- Yes. St Stephen's CofE School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Blackburn.
- Does St Stephen's CofE School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Stephen's CofE School as having nursery classes.
- How have St Stephen's CofE School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 38% in 2022/23 and 55% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St Stephen's CofE School compare with other schools in Lancashire?
- St Stephen's CofE School ranked 305th of 445 primary schools in Lancashire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 30% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 17% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St Stephen's CofE School's absence rate?
- St Stephen's CofE School's overall absence rate is 7.9% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Stephen's CofE School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Stephen's CofE School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 30 June 2026.