Applebee Wood School is a special academy in Preston, Lancashire, for children and young people aged 4 to 16.
- Ages 4–16
- 179 pupils
School details
- Type
- Special academy
- Ages
- 4 to 16
- Boys and girls
- Boys and girls
- Pupils
- 179 (places for 169)
- Headteacher
- Mr John Cockerill
- Part of
- The Sea View Trust
- Opened
- 1 September 2025
- Free school meals
- 46.9% of pupils eligible
- Council
- Lancashire
- School reference (URN)
- 152064
How to get a place
4 steps, starting with an EHC plan
- An EHC plan
Places at schools like this usually come through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan. If your child doesn’t have one yet, you can ask the council for an assessment yourself.
- Visit and ask questions
See whether the school feels right and whether it can meet your child’s needs. Our list of questions below can help.
- Ask for the school to be named
Tell the council that looks after the plan (often Lancashire council) that this is the school you want, and ask them to consult it.
- Named in the plan
If the school is named in your child’s plan, it must admit your child. Free home-to-school transport is often part of the arrangement.
Questions to ask when you visit
8 questions to tick off as you go
Ticks stay on this device, so you can use them on the day.
Ofsted
Special measures. Graded by area, October 2024; school remains Good (Concerns) - S5 Next (February 2023)
Ofsted has placed this school in special measures.
Inspected in October 2024. Inspections from September 2024 to November 2025 graded each area but gave no overall grade.
- Quality of educationInadequate
- Behaviour and attitudesGood
- Personal developmentRequires improvement
- Leadership and managementInadequate
- SafeguardingEffective
Since then: School remains Good (Concerns) - S5 Next (ungraded inspection, February 2023).
Contact and getting there
Far Croft, Lostock Hall, Preston, PR5 5SS
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Directions: Walk Public transport Drive
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The school’s details, how to get a place and the questions to ask, in your inbox.
Other SEND schools nearby
- The Ribble Autism School Independent · Ages 4–11 · Ofsted: Good 0.2 miles
- Bridgeway School Independent · Ages 9–18 · Ofsted: Outstanding 1.6 miles
- The Coppice School Special school · Ages 2–19 · Ofsted: Good 1.7 miles
All SEND schools in Lancashire
By need in Lancashire: Speech and language (34) · Autism (30) · SEMH (22) · Moderate learning (21) · Hearing (21) · Severe learning (19) · Vision (19) · Multi-sensory (19) · PMLD (18) · Physical (17) · Dyslexia and SpLD (14)
Questions about Applebee Wood School
How do I get a place at Applebee Wood School?
There’s no catchment area or application round. Places usually come through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan: ask the council that looks after the plan to consult Applebee Wood School. If it is named in the plan, the school must admit your child.
What ages does Applebee Wood School take?
Aged 4 to 16, boys and girls.
What is Applebee Wood School’s Ofsted rating?
Rated Good by Ofsted in October 2024 at its last graded inspection. Newer inspections no longer give a single overall grade, so read the latest report for the full picture.
Where is Applebee Wood School?
Far Croft, Lostock Hall, Preston, PR5 5SS, in Lancashire.
School data: DfE Get Information About Schools, under the Open Government Licence. Postcode lookups by postcodes.io: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right, Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right, and National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right. Distances are as the crow flies. Always check details and admissions with the school and your council.