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St William's Catholic Primary School, Pilling

Garstang Road, Pilling, Preston, PR3 6AL

Phase
Primary
School type
Academy converter
Ages
2 to 11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Roman Catholic
Trust
THE BLESSED EDWARD BAMBER CATHOLIC MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
Headteacher
Mrs Heather Hogarth
Diocese
Diocese of Lancaster
Nursery provision
Has Nursery Classes
Sponsor
Diocese of Lancaster
Constituency
Lancaster and Wyre
Setting
Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
Capacity
90
Pupils on roll
47
URN
150580
Local authority
Lancashire
Website
School website
Telephone
01253790389

About this school

St William's Catholic Primary School, Pilling is a Roman Catholic primary academy in Preston. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 47 pupils on roll.

Ofsted has inspected St William's Catholic Primary School, Pilling, 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

England: previous inspection framework
Inspected 23 May 2023 · report published 9 July 2023
Good

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
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective

This inspection took place when the school was registered as St William's Catholic Primary School, Pilling (URN 119630).

Read the full report on Ofsted's website

Exam results

Key stage 2 (end of primary school)

Measure 2024/25
Pupils at the end of key stage 2 7
Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths 14%
Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths 0%
Expected standard in reading 57%
Expected standard in maths 43%
Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling 57%
Average scaled score in reading 105.0
Average scaled score in maths 101.0

How St William's Catholic Primary School, Pilling compares

St William's Catholic Primary School, Pilling ranked 443rd of 445 primary schools in Lancashire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 5% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 85% of England schools in 2024/25.

School KS2 RWM (2024/25) Absence FSM (6 years) Pupils Distance
This school 14% 4% 34.2% 47
Pilling St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School 71% 4.7% 16.5% 93 0.9 miles
Carter's Charity Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Preesall 46% 4.9% 27% 164 2.7 miles
Stalmine Primary School 56% 4.9% 24.7% 103 2.9 miles
Preesall Fleetwood's Charity Church of England Primary School 50% 5.6% 22.7% 119 2.9 miles
Nateby Primary School 77% 3.4% 10% 87 3.6 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.

Inspection history

  1. Graded inspection — Good report
    23 May 2023
  2. Ungraded inspection report
    8 January 2020

School context

From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.

Free school meals (last 6 years)
34.21%
English as an additional language
2.2%
Overall absence
3.96%
Persistent absence
9.38%

Location

Nearby schools

Other schools in Preston

St William's Catholic Primary School, Pilling ranks 106th of the 106 ranked primary schools in Preston.

Common questions

What ages does St William's Catholic Primary School, Pilling teach?
St William's Catholic Primary School, Pilling teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Preston.
Who is the headteacher of St William's Catholic Primary School, Pilling?
The headteacher of St William's Catholic Primary School, Pilling is Mrs Heather Hogarth, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
Has St William's Catholic Primary School, Pilling been inspected?
Ofsted has inspected St William's Catholic Primary School, Pilling, 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 William's Catholic Primary School, Pilling?
St William's Catholic Primary School, Pilling has 47 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
Is St William's Catholic Primary School, Pilling full?
St William's Catholic Primary School, Pilling has capacity for 90 pupils and 47 on roll (52%), 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 St William's Catholic Primary School, Pilling a faith school?
Yes. St William's Catholic Primary School, Pilling is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Lancaster.
Does St William's Catholic Primary School, Pilling have a nursery?
Yes. The schools register records St William's Catholic Primary School, Pilling as having nursery classes.
Is St William's Catholic Primary School, Pilling part of an academy trust?
St William's Catholic Primary School, Pilling is part of THE BLESSED EDWARD BAMBER CATHOLIC MULTI ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
How does St William's Catholic Primary School, Pilling compare with other schools in Lancashire?
St William's Catholic Primary School, Pilling ranked 443rd of 445 primary schools in Lancashire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 5% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 85% 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 William's Catholic Primary School, Pilling's absence rate?
St William's Catholic Primary School, Pilling's overall absence rate is 4% in the latest published census.
What are St William's Catholic Primary School, Pilling's exam results?
Where the Department for Education has published them, St William's Catholic Primary School, Pilling'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 10 July 2026.