A school in Preston has shown a marked improvement in its latest Ofsted inspection but has been told it needs to continue to make progress.
Frenchwood Community Primary School, at Frenchwood Knoll in Preston, was told it was meeting the expected standard for safeguarding, attendance and behaviour, inclusion and personal development in the report which was published on 20 April and follows a visit in February.
The report said: “Life at Frenchwood Community Primary School is shaped by care and a strong sense of belonging.
“Pupils treat each other with respect and know staff will help them if they have a worry.”
But of the five new grading categories introduced in 2025 (Exceptional, Strong Standard, Expected Standard, Needs Attention, Urgent Improvement), Frenchwood Community School scored Expected Standard in three categories and Needs Attention in four.
The four categories falling under Needs Attention included ‘Achievement’, ‘Curriculum and teaching’, ‘Early years’, and ‘Leadership and governance’.
These grades are an improvement from those in the school’s 2023 Ofsted report, in which they scored Requires Improvement for four of five categories, and Good in one category. That followed a 2020 inspection that was positive but warned that ‘standards may be declining’.
Inspectors in the 2026 report described how ‘staff know pupils well and adapt their approaches sensitively, including for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities’.
They continued to highlight how ‘the use of self-regulation zones and sensory areas’ fosters ‘an environment where difference is celebrated and discrimination not tolerated’.
Overall, Frenchwood Community School was largely praised for the way they support pupils with disabilities, Special Educational Needs, and those with complex behaviour.
All safeguarding standards were also met.
However, inspectors did note several areas which the school could improve on.
This involved the notion that ‘although the curriculum includes all the knowledge and skills that children should learn, the focus on early communication, writing and number is not strong enough’.
In turn, this means that ‘younger pupils do not secure the important knowledge that they need in handwriting, spelling and mathematics’.
Going forward, the report suggested: “Leaders should strengthen staff’s expertise in teaching the essential skills of handwriting, spelling and mathematics so that pupils benefit from consistently effective teaching across the school.”
While the report points at areas to improve, it is important to mention the challenges that the school is currently facing.
The recent OFSTED report shows that despite the school only having a capacity of 298 pupils, there are currently 347 pupils attending, and so the school is operating at nearly 50 pupils over capacity.
According to Government statistics, approximately 14 per cent of state-funded primary schools in England were at, or over, capacity in the 2024/25 academic year.
Blog Preston contacted Frenchwood Community Primary School and Lancashire County Council for a statement.
Support Blog Preston: Keep our community reporting going and view the website without any adverts too. Sign up for a membership today.
Stay updated: Keep in touch directly with the latest headlines from Blog Preston, join our WhatsApp channel and subscribe for our twice-a-week email newsletter. Both free and direct to your phone and inbox. Help us report too, by contacting us if you see something we should be reporting on.
Read more: See the latest Preston news and headlines
