Bilsborrow John Cross Church of England Primary School
Garstang Road, Bilsborrow, Preston, PR3 0RE
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 5 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mr Liam Reynolds
- Diocese
- Diocese of Blackburn
- Constituency
- Lancaster and Wyre
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 70
- Pupils on roll
- 84
- URN
- 119519
- Local authority
- Lancashire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01995640505
About this school
Bilsborrow John Cross Church of England Primary School is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Preston. It teaches children aged 5 to 11 and has 84 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 14 March 2023, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 12 | 12 | 11 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 67% | 67% | 82% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 8% | 0% | 9% |
| Expected standard in reading | 83% | 83% | 82% |
| Expected standard in maths | 92% | 83% | 91% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 58% | 83% | 91% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 103.0 | 107.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 107.0 | 109.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.50 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -0.60 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.10 | - | - |
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 Bilsborrow John Cross Church of England Primary 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 | 67% | 58.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 67% | 58.3% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 82% | 58.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 3.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 75 |
| 2023/24 | 75 |
| 2024/25 | 76 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Bilsborrow John Cross Church of England Primary School compares
Bilsborrow John Cross Church of England Primary School ranked 34th of 445 primary schools in Lancashire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 90% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 79% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 82% | 4.2% | 22.4% | 84 | — |
| Barton St Lawrence Church of England Primary School | 81% | 3.8% | 4.7% | 198 | 1.7 miles |
| St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Claughton-on-Brock | 86% | 4.6% | 9.8% | 47 | 1.7 miles |
| St Mary and St Andrew's Catholic Primary School, Barton Newsham | — | — | — | 135 | 2.3 miles |
| Kirkland and Catterall St Helen's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School | 65% | 3.8% | 6.1% | 169 | 2.5 miles |
| Goosnargh Whitechapel Primary School | 79% | 3.6% | 6.9% | 103 | 3.0 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)
- 22.37%
- English as an additional language
- 1.3%
- Overall absence
- 4.23%
- Persistent absence
- 12.16%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Barton St Lawrence Church of England Primary School1.7 miles
Primary · Preston
-
St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Claughton-on-Brock1.7 miles
Primary · Preston
-
St Mary and St Andrew's Catholic Primary School, Barton Newsham2.3 miles
Primary · Preston
-
Kirkland and Catterall St Helen's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School2.5 miles
Primary · Preston
-
Goosnargh Whitechapel Primary School3.0 miles
Primary · Preston
Other schools in Preston
Bilsborrow John Cross Church of England Primary School ranks 11th 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
- 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
- Catforth Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Bilsborrow John Cross Church of England Primary School teach?
- Bilsborrow John Cross Church of England Primary School teaches children aged 5 to 11. It is a primary school in Preston.
- Who is the headteacher of Bilsborrow John Cross Church of England Primary School?
- The headteacher of Bilsborrow John Cross Church of England Primary School is Mr Liam Reynolds, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Bilsborrow John Cross Church of England Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Bilsborrow John Cross Church of England Primary 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 big is Bilsborrow John Cross Church of England Primary School?
- Bilsborrow John Cross Church of England Primary School has 84 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 5 to 11.
- Is Bilsborrow John Cross Church of England Primary School full?
- Bilsborrow John Cross Church of England Primary School has capacity for 70 pupils and 84 on roll (120%), 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 Bilsborrow John Cross Church of England Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Bilsborrow John Cross Church of England Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Blackburn.
- Does Bilsborrow John Cross Church of England Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Bilsborrow John Cross Church of England Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have Bilsborrow John Cross Church of England Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 67% in 2022/23 and 82% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Bilsborrow John Cross Church of England Primary School rank locally?
- Bilsborrow John Cross Church of England Primary School ranked 34th of 445 primary schools in Lancashire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 90% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 79% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Bilsborrow John Cross Church of England Primary School's absence rate?
- Bilsborrow John Cross Church of England Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.2% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Bilsborrow John Cross Church of England Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Bilsborrow John Cross Church of England Primary 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.