Barrowford St Thomas Church of England Primary School

Pendle · BB9 6QT

General information Primary School · 4-11 years Who goes here 121 pupils, 11.6% FSM

Educational attainment Ofsted: Outstanding

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 10.7% on SEN support Behaviour 3.4% absence rate Staff 20% turnover Financials £6,677 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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Barrowford St Thomas Church of England Primary School

General Information

Address: Wheatley Lane Road, Barrowford, Nelson, BB9 6QT – View on map
Phone: 01282614462
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mr Oliver Haines
Age range: 4-11 years
Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 23 families put it first for 17 places – 14 for every 10 places. 74% of them were offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 15 · 2024 16 · 2025 9 · 2026 14
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Church of England
Nursery provision: No

Who goes here

121 pupils out of 119 places At or near capacity

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 14
% eligible for free school meals: 11.6%
Pupil mix: 2 in 10 (less mixed than the Pendle average)
English as an additional language: 7% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 20% a year (Pendle 11.8%, typical in England 13.9%)
Where they went: about 33% moved to another school, 67% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)

Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house. This is a small staff, so one or two teachers leaving moves the figure a lot.

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Across Lancashire: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 9 (0.1 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 3
Suspensions for bullying: 18 (0.2 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 7 (0.1 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.0)
Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)

These are figures for all state primary schools in Lancashire (the council area this school is in), not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.

Attendance

Overall absence: 3.4%
Persistently absent pupils: 7.8%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision

SEN Unit and Resourced Provision

Most mainstream schools don't have a dedicated SEN Unit or Resourced Provision - it isn't a mark against a school that doesn't, just a different kind of setup than one that does.

Pupils on SEN Support: 10.7%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 3.3%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need: 7 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 2 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 2 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 2 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Speech, language and communications needs: 3 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 1 pupil

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

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Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

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School Ethos

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Ability to Deal with Problems

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Headteacher Approval

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SafeguardingSafeguarding (parent rating)How parents rate the school on keeping children safe - how safe their child feels, and how well concerns are listened to and acted on. It's parents' experience, not an inspection result; Ofsted checks safeguarding separately.

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Wraparound CareWraparound Care (parent rating)How parents rate the school's breakfast and after-school clubs - availability, cost and quality. Only asked for infant, junior and primary schools, where it matters most for working parents.

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Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

Outstanding 2023 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted changed how it rates schools in the last couple of years, so ratings from different years aren't always on the same scale - that's why we show the year alongside every rating.

Year 6 SATs results

Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 88% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 13% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: 26 percentage points above the Pendle average (62%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: Above (3-year average 80% against an expected 72%)
3-year average (expected standard): 80%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 100% · Writing 100% · Maths 88% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 94%
Average test scores: reading 108, maths 106
Based on: 16 Year 6 pupils, 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's SATs results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

SATs results over time

This schoolPendle averageEngland↗ Improving Up 13 percentage points since 2022/23. In 2024/25 this school was 26 percentage points above the Pendle average (62%).

Year 6 SATs: 2nd of 36 junior and primary schools in the area

#1Roughlee Church of England Primary School100%
#2Barrowford St Thomas Church of England Primary School88%
#3Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy86%
#4Newchurch-In-Pendle St Mary's Church of England Primary School83%

Click to see the full ranking

Year 6 SATs ranking

Junior and primary schools in this area, ranked by the % of Year 6 pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (official DfE results, 2024/25). Schools with the same result share a place (shown as =). In small schools one or two children can move a school several places, so treat close positions as roughly equal.

Rank School Score

#1Roughlee Church of England Primary School100%
#2Barrowford St Thomas Church of England Primary School88%
#3Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy86%
#4Newchurch-In-Pendle St Mary's Church of England Primary School83%
#5Lomeshaye Junior School80%
#6Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy78%
#7Trawden Forest Primary School76%
#8Blacko Primary School75%
#9Laneshaw Bridge Primary73%
#10Wheatley Lane Methodist Primary School72%
=11Earby Springfield Primary School67%
=11Gisburn Road Community Primary School67%
=11Kelbrook Primary School67%
=14Marsden Community Primary School65%
=14Walverden Primary School65%
=16Barnoldswick Church of England Controlled Primary School64%
=16Colne Lord Street School64%
=16Pendle Primary Academy64%
#19Salterforth Primary School62%
=20Colne Christ Church Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School61%
=20Reedley Primary School61%
=22Bradley Primary School60%
=22Colne Primet Primary School60%
=22St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary Academy60%
=25Nelson St Paul's Church of England Primary School58%
=25Nelson St Philip's Church of England Primary School58%
=27Castercliff Primary School57%
=27Foulridge Saint Michael and All Angels CofE Voluntary Aided Primary School57%
=27Holy Saviour Roman Catholic Primary School, Nelson57%
=27Park Primary School57%
#31Higham St John's Church of England Primary School53%
#32West Street Community Primary School52%
#33Barrowford School50%
#34Great Marsden St John's Primary School A Church of England Academy40%
#35Coates Lane Primary School37%
#36St John Southworth RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy18%

View full Ofsted inspection report

1st of 28 primary schools in Pendle for Ofsted rating

#1Barrowford St Thomas Church of England Primary SchoolOutstanding
#2Laneshaw Bridge PrimaryOutstanding
#3Barnoldswick Church of England Controlled Primary SchoolGood

Click to see the full ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Based on real Ofsted ratings (via official DfE data) for schools on the same four-word grading scale.

Rank School Score

#1Barrowford St Thomas Church of England Primary SchoolOutstanding
#2Laneshaw Bridge PrimaryOutstanding
#3Barnoldswick Church of England Controlled Primary SchoolGood
#4Blacko Primary SchoolGood
#5Bradley Primary SchoolGood
#6Castercliff Primary SchoolGood
#7Coates Lane Primary SchoolGood
#8Colne Christ Church Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolGood
#9Colne Lord Street SchoolGood
#10Colne Primet Primary SchoolGood
#11Foulridge Saint Michael and All Angels CofE Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolGood
#12Gisburn Road Community Primary SchoolGood
#13Great Marsden St John's Primary School A Church of England AcademyGood
#14Holy Saviour Roman Catholic Primary School, NelsonGood
#15Kelbrook Primary SchoolGood
#16Marsden Community Primary SchoolGood
#17Nelson St Paul's Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#18Nelson St Philip's Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#19Newchurch-In-Pendle St Mary's Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#20Park Primary SchoolGood
#21Reedley Primary SchoolGood
#22Roughlee Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#23Salterforth Primary SchoolGood
#24St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary AcademyGood
#25Trawden Forest Primary SchoolGood
#26Walverden Primary SchoolGood
#27Wheatley Lane Methodist Primary SchoolGood
#28Earby Springfield Primary SchoolRequires improvement

Financials

Spending per pupil: £6,677 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

22nd of 35 primary schools in Pendle for spending per pupil

#20Foulridge Saint Michael and All Angels CofE Voluntary Aided Primary School£6,842
#21Bradley Primary School£6,756
#22Barrowford St Thomas Church of England Primary School£6,677
#23Trawden Forest Primary School£6,658
#24Nelson St Paul's Church of England Primary School£6,640

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

Rank School Score

#1Earby Springfield Primary School£9,527
#2Roughlee Church of England Primary School£9,253
#3West Street Community Primary School£8,774
#4Barrowford School£8,475
#5Colne Primet Primary School£8,419
#6Holy Saviour Roman Catholic Primary School, Nelson£7,970
#7Blacko Primary School£7,911
#8Higham St John's Church of England Primary School£7,572
#9Gisburn Road Community Primary School£7,464
#10Park Primary School£7,452
#11St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary Academy£7,400
#12Nelson St Philip's Church of England Primary School£7,382
#13Newchurch-In-Pendle St Mary's Church of England Primary School£7,364
#14St John Southworth RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy£7,344
#15Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy£7,300
#16Colne Christ Church Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School£7,285
#17Coates Lane Primary School£7,078
#18Kelbrook Primary School£7,057
#19Marsden Community Primary School£6,893
#20Foulridge Saint Michael and All Angels CofE Voluntary Aided Primary School£6,842
#21Bradley Primary School£6,756
#22Barrowford St Thomas Church of England Primary School£6,677
#23Trawden Forest Primary School£6,658
#24Nelson St Paul's Church of England Primary School£6,640
#25Castercliff Primary School£6,598
#26Salterforth Primary School£6,518
#27Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy£6,399
#28Reedley Primary School£6,361
#29Barnoldswick Church of England Controlled Primary School£6,334
#30Walverden Primary School£6,230
#31Great Marsden St John's Primary School A Church of England Academy£6,166
#32Colne Lord Street School£6,072
#33Laneshaw Bridge Primary£6,059
#34Pendle Primary Academy£6,019
#35Wheatley Lane Methodist Primary School£5,644

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

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