St Stephen's CofE School

In a diverse pocket of Broadgate, close to central Preston, St Stephen’s CofE School puts its Christian vision at the centre of daily routines, relationships, and leadership opportunities, while keeping a clear focus on core learning. The school runs from Nursery age through to Year 6 and also has a popular pre-school setting for children aged 3 to 4.

The latest Ofsted inspection (15 and 16 November 2023) graded the school Good overall, with Personal Development graded Outstanding.

Families weighing up St Stephen’s will notice three defining features. First, there is a deliberate emphasis on belonging, service, and character, not as a poster slogan, but through structured programmes such as the Young Leaders scheme and regular worship. Second, the setting is shaped by outdoor play, with OPAL (Outdoor Play and Learning) used to strengthen lunchtime play and social development. Third, the practicalities suit working parents well, thanks to breakfast club and after-school club running five days a week.

St Stephen’s describes itself as an inclusive Church of England school with a strong sense of togetherness and a vision focused on Aspire to Greatness, framed as living a life of goodness through service and community contribution. The language is explicitly Christian, but the emphasis is also on welcome, belonging, and children from different backgrounds flourishing together.

Collective worship is positioned as a core part of the school day, and the school presents worship as inclusive, invitational, and inspiring, with prayer, reflection, and scripture used to prompt action and values-led behaviour.

A practical indicator of culture is the way leadership is distributed among pupils. Every Year 6 pupil is part of the Young Leaders scheme, with roles allocated across teams rather than a single head pupil model. The structure is broad, spanning communications, welcome, climate action, community, school council, curriculum, ethos, sport, play, reading, and charity, and it is linked to the Archbishop’s Young Leaders Award.

For parents, the implication is that this is a school where children are expected to contribute, not just comply. That can be especially appealing for families who want a clear moral framework and plenty of chances for their child to practise responsibility in real contexts.

St Stephen’s performance data sits close to England averages on the headline combined measure, with some strengths in the underlying profile.

In the current Key Stage 2 dataset, 60% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined.

Scaled scores were 104 in reading and 102 in maths, with grammar, punctuation and spelling also at 104.

In the current Key Stage 2 dataset, 60% met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, and 0% reached the higher standard.

In the current Key Stage 2 dataset, 80% met the expected standard in science.

Using FindMySchool's ranking based on official outcomes data, St Stephen's is ranked 10,477th in England for primary outcomes and 72nd in Preston. Its overall ranking position is 8,940th of 14,978 primaries nationally, so parents should read the headline attainment measures alongside the broader comparative rank.

What that means in practice is not that teaching is weak, but that outcomes, as captured by national measures, have not consistently pulled away from the average. For families, the sensible next step is to focus on whether your child will thrive in the school’s particular approach, and whether the school’s curriculum, reading strategy, and support systems match your child’s starting point and needs.

The curriculum is presented as a direct extension of the school’s vision and values, with the stated aim that children build knowledge while also developing character and a service mindset.

A distinctive feature is the way the early years journey is described as beginning in Nursery, with a focus on vocabulary development and preparing children for Year 1 learning routines.

Parents considering early years will also want to note the pre-school offer: the school highlights provision for children aged 3 to 4, and names a specific pre-school lead teacher, with tours and conversations encouraged as part of transition.

As a primary school, St Stephen’s is a feeder into Preston secondary provision, and the most relevant question for parents is often less about a single destination and more about readiness. The school’s emphasis on personal development, pupil leadership, and a clear behaviour curriculum is designed to support that move into a larger setting, where independence and self-management matter.

For families with a specific secondary pathway in mind, it is worth checking likely destination patterns directly with the school, as published destination lists are not consistently available for state primaries.

St Stephen’s has an admission number of 45 children each year for Reception entry.

Reception applications are coordinated by Lancashire. Check the current local authority admissions timetable and the school's admissions page for the live application window, deadline and offer-day arrangements before applying.

The school summarises Lancashire’s oversubscription priorities in the usual order, including looked-after children, exceptional medical or social reasons, siblings, then distance measured as a straight-line (radial) distance.

Demand looks meaningful. The most recent admissions snapshot used for this review records 51 applications and 39 offers for primary entry, indicating that competition is real even before late applications and movement are considered.

For pre-school, the school states that families can apply at any time in the year, but also flags limited spaces and advises enquiring shortly before a child turns three.

A practical tip: because distance can be decisive when a school is oversubscribed, parents should use FindMySchool’s Map Search to check their precise home-to-gate distance and then keep an eye on how allocation patterns change year to year.

St Stephen’s presents safeguarding as a whole-school commitment and states that it is everyone’s responsibility across the community.

The school also signposts support for families beyond education, including help with mental health, food, finances, housing, and relationships, pointing parents towards trusted Lancashire services when needed.

In the everyday experience, wellbeing is shaped by routines and expectations. The published school day information is precise about line-up times, punctuality expectations, and weekly learning hours, which typically correlates with a structured approach that many pupils find reassuring.

St Stephen’s is unusually explicit about its co-curricular menu for a state primary, with a published list of example clubs that goes beyond the standard sports-and-crafts pattern.

Examples named by the school include Chinese Club, Poetry Recital Club, Magic Club, Cookery Club, Ju Jitsu Club, Puzzle Club, Freestyle Frisbee Club, Choir, Hockey Club, and Multiskills Sports Club.

For parents, the implication is choice and variety. Children who enjoy performing can gravitate to choir or drama, while those who prefer structured skill-building have options like cookery, puzzles, or martial arts. The school also sets clear operational expectations: many clubs run at lunchtime or after school, places are limited, and most after-school clubs typically end at 4:20pm.

Play is treated as part of the educational offer, not just downtime. The school’s OPAL programme is designed to increase the variety and quality of outdoor play, supporting imaginative role-play, construction, den building, and all-weather outdoor activity to improve social skills and lunchtime behaviour.

The school day runs from an 8:45am line-up, with doors closing at 8:50am, and the day ending at 3:20pm. The school states it provides 32.5 hours of education per week.

Wraparound care is well defined. Breakfast club runs 07:45 to 08:50, and after-school club runs 15:20 to 18:00, both Monday to Friday. Prices are published for both clubs, which helps parents plan predictable weekly costs.

For travel, the school highlights that it is a short walk from key central Preston landmarks including Preston Railway Station and the River Ribble area, which will suit families using public transport or commuting through the city centre.

• Competition for places. Reception has 45 places per year and the admissions picture indicates oversubscription pressure. Families should plan early, use the local authority timeline, and keep realistic options in reserve.

• Faith life is woven through daily routines. Collective worship and a Christian framing of values are central to identity. Families comfortable with a Church of England ethos will see this as a plus, while those wanting a fully secular experience should reflect carefully.

Using FindMySchool's ranking based on official outcomes data, St Stephen's is ranked 10,477th in England for primary outcomes and 72nd in Preston. Its overall ranking position is 8,940th of 14,978 primaries nationally, so parents should read the headline attainment measures alongside the broader comparative rank.

• OPAL and all-weather play. The play approach is intentionally outdoors-focused, which many children love, but it does require families to be comfortable with muddy kit and outdoor clothing as standard.

St Stephen’s CofE School is best understood as a values-driven, community-rooted primary where character education is given real structure through worship, leadership roles, and a busy programme of clubs. Academic outcomes are broadly in line with England averages, with some indicators of strength in reading and in higher-standard attainment.

Who it suits: families who want a Church of England primary with clear routines, strong personal development, and lots of opportunities for children to lead, perform, compete, and serve. The limiting factor is admission, since demand can exceed places, especially for Reception entry.