The Willows Catholic Primary School, Kirkham
Victoria Road, Kirkham, Preston, PR4 2BT
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- THE BLESSED EDWARD BAMBER CATHOLIC MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Robert Wylde
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lancaster
- Sponsor
- Diocese of Lancaster
- Constituency
- Fylde
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 208
- URN
- 151086
- Local authority
- Lancashire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01772684371
About this school
The Willows Catholic Primary School, Kirkham is a Roman Catholic primary academy in Preston. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 208 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. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 12 January 2022, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Outstanding. 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.
This inspection took place when the school was registered as The Willows Catholic Primary School, Kirkham (URN 119626).
How The Willows Catholic Primary School, Kirkham compares
Its absence rate was lower than 98% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 3% | 7.1% | 208 | — |
| Kirkham and Wesham Primary School | 50% | 4.5% | 29.2% | 187 | 0.1 miles |
| Medlar-with-Wesham Church of England Primary School | 67% | 6.6% | 26.5% | 124 | 0.5 miles |
| Kirkham St Michael's Church of England Primary School | 70% | 4.1% | 26.8% | 199 | 0.6 miles |
| St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Medlar-with-Wesham | — | 4% | 25% | 100 | 0.7 miles |
| Ribby with Wrea Endowed CofE Primary School | 79% | 4% | 10.9% | 152 | 1.4 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)
- 7.14%
- English as an additional language
- 4.3%
- Overall absence
- 2.95%
- Persistent absence
- 2.78%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Kirkham and Wesham Primary School0.1 miles
Primary · Preston
-
Medlar-with-Wesham Church of England Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Preston
-
Kirkham St Michael's Church of England Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Preston
-
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Medlar-with-Wesham0.7 miles
Primary · Preston
-
Ribby with Wrea Endowed CofE Primary School1.4 miles
Primary · Preston
Other 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
- Bilsborrow John Cross 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
Common questions
- What year groups does The Willows Catholic Primary School, Kirkham teach?
- The Willows Catholic Primary School, Kirkham teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Preston.
- Who is the headteacher of The Willows Catholic Primary School, Kirkham?
- The headteacher of The Willows Catholic Primary School, Kirkham is Mr Robert Wylde, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was The Willows Catholic Primary School, Kirkham last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The Willows Catholic Primary School, Kirkham, 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 The Willows Catholic Primary School, Kirkham?
- The Willows Catholic Primary School, Kirkham has 208 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is The Willows Catholic Primary School, Kirkham full?
- The Willows Catholic Primary School, Kirkham has capacity for 210 pupils and 208 on roll (99%), 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 The Willows Catholic Primary School, Kirkham a faith school?
- Yes. The Willows Catholic Primary School, Kirkham is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Lancaster.
- Does The Willows Catholic Primary School, Kirkham have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records The Willows Catholic Primary School, Kirkham as having no nursery classes.
- Who runs The Willows Catholic Primary School, Kirkham?
- The Willows Catholic Primary School, Kirkham 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.
- What is The Willows Catholic Primary School, Kirkham's absence rate?
- The Willows Catholic Primary School, Kirkham's overall absence rate is 3% in the latest published census.
- Does The Willows Catholic Primary School, Kirkham publish exam results?
- OfferDay shows exam results for a school only where the Department for Education has published them, and none are shown for The Willows Catholic Primary School, Kirkham. That is usual for infant, nursery, special and independent schools, and for schools without recent published results.
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 3 July 2026.