Garstang Community Academy
Bowgreave, Garstang, Preston, PR3 1YE
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- FYLDE COAST ACADEMY TRUST
- Principal
- Mr Satinder Singh
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Sponsor
- Fylde Coast Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Lancaster and Wyre
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 915
- Pupils on roll
- 750
- URN
- 137342
- Local authority
- Lancashire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01995603226
About this school
Garstang Community Academy is a secondary academy in Preston. It teaches children aged 11 to 16 and has 750 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Garstang Community 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
- Requires improvement
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Requires improvement
- Personal development
- Requires improvement
- Leadership and management
- Requires improvement
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 166 | 163 | 155 |
| Attainment 8 score | 45.0 | 42.5 | 44.8 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.32 -0.54 to -0.10 | -0.30 -0.52 to -0.08 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 40% | 44.8% | 45.2% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 64% | 63.2% | 63.9% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 16% | 9.8% | 11.6% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.8 | 3.5 | 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 Garstang Community 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 | 45 | 38.1 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 42.5 | 37.6 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 44.8 | 37 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 10.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 8.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 828 |
| 2023/24 | 819 |
| 2024/25 | 801 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Garstang Community Academy compares
Garstang Community Academy ranked 37th of 81 secondary schools in Lancashire for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 56% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 12% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 44.8 | 8.9% | 19.2% | 750 | — |
| Broughton High School | 59.3 | 4.9% | 9.6% | 932 | 5.9 miles |
| Fulwood Academy | 41.4 | 6.9% | 44.4% | 973 | 7.3 miles |
| Corpus Christi Catholic High School | 50.2 | 4.3% | 29.7% | 813 | 7.5 miles |
| Our Lady's Catholic High School | 50 | 5.9% | 18.3% | 902 | 7.6 miles |
| Archbishop Temple Church of England High School | 55.4 | 6.6% | 12.3% | 891 | 7.8 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.
Inspection history
- 26 March 2024
-
Ungraded inspection report18 January 2023
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 19.23%
- English as an additional language
- 1.1%
- Overall absence
- 8.86%
- Persistent absence
- 23.81%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Broughton High School5.9 miles
Secondary · Preston
-
Fulwood Academy7.3 miles
Secondary · Preston
-
Corpus Christi Catholic High School7.5 miles
Secondary · Preston
-
Our Lady's Catholic High School7.6 miles
Secondary · Preston
-
Archbishop Temple Church of England High School7.8 miles
Secondary · Preston
Other schools in Preston
Garstang Community Academy ranks 14th 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
- Fulwood Academy Secondary
- Hutton Church of England Grammar School Secondary
- Longridge High School Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does Garstang Community Academy teach?
- Garstang Community Academy teaches children aged 11 to 16. It is a secondary school in Preston.
- Who is the principal of Garstang Community Academy?
- The principal of Garstang Community Academy is Mr Satinder Singh, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Garstang Community Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Garstang Community 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 Garstang Community Academy?
- Garstang Community Academy has 750 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 16.
- Is Garstang Community Academy full?
- Garstang Community Academy has capacity for 915 pupils and 750 on roll (82%), so it has space against 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 Garstang Community Academy a faith school?
- No. Garstang Community Academy has no designated religious character.
- Is Garstang Community Academy a selective school?
- No. Garstang Community Academy is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is Garstang Community Academy part of an academy trust?
- Garstang Community Academy is part of FYLDE COAST ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Garstang Community Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 45 in 2022/23 and 44.8 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Garstang Community Academy compare with other schools in Lancashire?
- Garstang Community Academy ranked 37th of 81 secondary schools in Lancashire for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 56% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 12% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Garstang Community Academy's absence rate?
- Garstang Community Academy's overall absence rate is 8.9% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Garstang Community Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Garstang Community 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.