Fulwood Academy
Black Bull Lane, Preston, PR2 9YR
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- DUNSTONE EDUCATION TRUST
- Principal
- Mr Andrew Galbraith
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Religious ethos
- None
- Sponsor
- Charles Dunstone
- Constituency
- Ribble Valley
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,000
- Pupils on roll
- 973
- URN
- 135936
- Local authority
- Lancashire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01772719060
About this school
Fulwood Academy is a secondary academy in Preston. It teaches children aged 11 to 16 and has 973 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Fulwood Academy, 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
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 129 | 135 | 139 |
| Attainment 8 score | 35.2 | 37.9 | 41.4 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.54 -0.81 to -0.26 | -0.37 -0.63 to -0.11 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 23% | 27.4% | 31.7% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 47% | 47.4% | 51.1% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 12% | 49.6% | 56.1% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 2.9 | 3.3 | 3.8 |
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 Fulwood Academy 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 | 35.2 | 38.1 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 37.9 | 37.6 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 41.4 | 37 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 9.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 7.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 759 |
| 2023/24 | 884 |
| 2024/25 | 936 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Fulwood Academy compares
Fulwood Academy ranked 54th of 81 secondary schools in Lancashire for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 43% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 26% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 41.4 | 6.9% | 44.4% | 973 | — |
| Our Lady's Catholic High School | 50 | 5.9% | 18.3% | 902 | 0.5 miles |
| Corpus Christi Catholic High School | 50.2 | 4.3% | 29.7% | 813 | 0.5 miles |
| Archbishop Temple Church of England High School | 55.4 | 6.6% | 12.3% | 891 | 0.7 miles |
| Broughton High School | 59.3 | 4.9% | 9.6% | 932 | 1.4 miles |
| Moor Park High School and Sixth Form | 39.3 | 7.3% | 46.8% | 599 | 1.6 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)
- 44.44%
- English as an additional language
- 47.5%
- Overall absence
- 6.92%
- Persistent absence
- 19.38%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Our Lady's Catholic High School0.5 miles
Secondary · Preston
-
Corpus Christi Catholic High School0.5 miles
Secondary · Preston
-
Archbishop Temple Church of England High School0.7 miles
Secondary · Preston
-
Broughton High School1.4 miles
Secondary · Preston
-
Moor Park High School and Sixth Form1.6 miles
Secondary · Preston
Other schools in Preston
Fulwood Academy ranks 19th of the 22 ranked secondary schools in Preston.
- All Hallows Catholic High School Secondary
- Archbishop Temple Church of England High School Secondary
- Ashton Community Science College Secondary
- Broughton High School Secondary
- Brownedge St Mary's Catholic High School Secondary
- Carr Hill High School Secondary
- Christ The King Catholic High School Secondary
- Corpus Christi Catholic High School Secondary
- Eden Boys' School, Preston Secondary
- Garstang Community Academy Secondary
- Hutton Church of England Grammar School Secondary
- Longridge High School Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does Fulwood Academy teach?
- Fulwood Academy teaches children aged 11 to 16. It is a secondary school in Preston.
- Who is the principal of Fulwood Academy?
- The principal of Fulwood Academy is Mr Andrew Galbraith, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Fulwood Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Fulwood Academy, 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 Fulwood Academy?
- Fulwood Academy has 973 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 16.
- Is Fulwood Academy full?
- Fulwood Academy has capacity for 1,000 pupils and 973 on roll (97%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Fulwood Academy a faith school?
- No. Fulwood Academy has no designated religious character.
- Is Fulwood Academy a selective school?
- No. Fulwood Academy is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is Fulwood Academy part of an academy trust?
- Fulwood Academy is part of DUNSTONE EDUCATION TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Fulwood Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 35.2 in 2022/23 and 41.4 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Fulwood Academy compare with other schools in Lancashire?
- Fulwood Academy ranked 54th of 81 secondary schools in Lancashire for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 43% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 26% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Fulwood Academy's absence rate?
- Fulwood Academy's overall absence rate is 6.9% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Fulwood Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Fulwood Academy'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 1 July 2026.