Robert Carter of Preesall, in his last will and testament on 31st January 1710, devised land in the village of Pilling to be used for the benefit of teaching children. So began the history of our school. 

The school was named the Free Grammar School at Pilling in the County of Lancaster and the Diocese of Chester. It was built with walls of peat and stone and a roof of thatch on the site of the now closed, Golden Ball Hotel. The purpose of the school was to teach children writing and good behaviour. 

The school was burned down in 1814 and another built on the present site in 1815. This school was 30ft long, 21ft wide and 10ft high. In 1843 name of the school was changed to Pilling Parochial School. Children paid 1 penny each week to attend and were known as Carter's Scholars. The children received tutoring in reading, writing and arithmetic. 110 children attended at this time. In 1856 the building was considered too small and a new building (the old buildings of the present school) was built costing £1300. The number of scholars attending then increased to 199. 

The Education Act of 1870 made attendance at school compulsory and in 1885 the number of pupils had risen to 227. In 1891 another Education Act abolished the payment of school fees and free education was provided for all.

The classrooms had galleries to accommodate the large number of pupils. In 1893 an infant classroom was added.

1959 an additional building was erected and this included a large hall with kitchen facilities. The school still catered for pupils of all ages but soon after this became a purely primary school for children 4-11years. 

In 1996 an extension and modification to the existing school provided a linking corridor, new toilets, including disabled facilities and a new infant classroom. 

During 2002 the Jubilee Wing was built to provide new administration areas (headteacher and school clerk offices) and an infant wet area. A gallery was reinstated in 'Class 3' (now Ocean class) to provide for extra ICT workstations and to house resources. At the same time the school was linked to the internet with up to date facilities in each classroom. 

In 2017 funding was secured to build a separate classroom to fulfill the needs of EYFS children. After consultation with governors, parents and the local community and working together with Lancashire County Council, the school age was lowered to 3 years old and in September 2017 the EYFS unit was established. 

Our school continues to grow, evolve and develop in response to the needs of the pupils, families and the local community.