Hillside Specialist School and College
Ribchester Road, Longridge, Preston, PR3 3XB
- Phase
- Special schools
- School type
- Community special school
- Ages
- 3 to 19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Acting Head Teacher
- Mr Paul Leaper
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- SEN provision
- ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder
- Constituency
- Ribble Valley
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 99
- Pupils on roll
- 117
- URN
- 131479
- Local authority
- Lancashire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01772782205
About this school
Hillside Specialist School and College is a community special school in Preston. It teaches children aged 3 to 19 and has 117 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Hillside Specialist School and College, and its latest judgement is set out 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 6 March 2024, 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 | 10 | 9 | 6 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 93.0 | - | - |
| Average scaled score in maths | 84.0 | - | - |
| Reading progress | -5.90 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -6.00 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -6.00 | - | - |
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.
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 6 | 9 | 5 |
| Attainment 8 score | - | - | - |
| Progress 8 score | - | - | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | - | - | - |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | - | - | - |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | - | - | - |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | - | - | - |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Hillside Specialist School and College 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 | 0% | 58.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 0% | 58.3% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 0% | 58.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 9.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 9.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 106 |
| 2023/24 | 108 |
| 2024/25 | 115 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 37.37%
- English as an additional language
- 11.3%
- Overall absence
- 8.96%
- Persistent absence
- 29.67%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Brook View School0.8 miles
Special schools · Preston
-
TRUST-Education Group Ltd2.8 miles
Special schools · Preston
-
Highfield Priory School4.4 miles
Independent schools · Preston
-
Stonyhurst College4.6 miles
Independent schools
-
Sir Tom Finney Community High School4.8 miles
Special schools · Preston
Other schools in Preston
- Acorns Primary School Special schools
- Applebee Wood School Academies
- Brook View School Special schools
- Cedar Lodge School Special schools
- Kirkham Pear Tree School Special schools
- Larches High School Local authority maintained schools
- Moorbrook School Special schools
- New Focus Education Special schools
- Oakfield House School Special schools
- Pioneer TEC Special schools
- Progress School Special schools
- Royal Cross Primary School Special schools
Common questions
- What ages does Hillside Specialist School and College teach?
- Hillside Specialist School and College teaches children aged 3 to 19. It is a special school in Preston.
- Who is the acting head teacher of Hillside Specialist School and College?
- The acting head teacher of Hillside Specialist School and College is Mr Paul Leaper, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Hillside Specialist School and College been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Hillside Specialist School and College, 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 Hillside Specialist School and College?
- Hillside Specialist School and College has 117 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 19.
- Is Hillside Specialist School and College full?
- Hillside Specialist School and College has capacity for 99 pupils and 117 on roll (118%), 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 Hillside Specialist School and College a faith school?
- No. Hillside Specialist School and College has no designated religious character.
- What SEN provision does Hillside Specialist School and College have?
- The schools register lists Hillside Specialist School and College's special educational needs provision as: ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have Hillside Specialist School and College's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 0% in 2022/23 and 0% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- What is Hillside Specialist School and College's absence rate?
- Hillside Specialist School and College's overall absence rate is 9% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Hillside Specialist School and College's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Hillside Specialist School and College'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.