Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School

About Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School

Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School’s headline academic metrics stand well clear of the Lancashire average for state secondary schools. Its Progress 8 score of +0.36 is significantly above the local authority average of -0.11, placing it in the top quarter of schools nationally and ranking it first among the six secondaries in Rossendale. This strong performance is consistent across subjects: Progress 8 in maths is +0.66, in English +0.45, and in the EBacc subjects +0.30. The school’s Attainment 8 score of 72 is high, and 99.4% of pupils achieved a grade 4 or above in English and maths. However, this academic strength sits alongside a starkly contrasting Ofsted picture. In its most recent graded inspection in 2022, the school was rated Inadequate overall, with behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management all judged Inadequate, and sixth-form provision also Inadequate. The quality of education was rated Good, but the gap between exam results and inspection judgement is unusually wide.

At Key Stage 5, outcomes are solid but less exceptional. The school’s A-level value added score of +0.06 is classed as Average, meaning students make progress in line with expectations given their prior attainment. The average points per entry is 38.87, equivalent to a B grade, and 22.8% of entries were graded AAB or higher. The best three A-levels average out at a B grade. At Key Stage 4, the EBacc average points score of 7.06 is strong, and 97.1% of pupils entered the EBacc suite of subjects, well above the national average. The school’s previous Ofsted inspection in 2016 rated it Outstanding across the board, including leadership, behaviour, and sixth-form provision. The 2022 inspection marked a dramatic decline in those areas, though the academic data suggests that outcomes for pupils have not yet followed that downward trajectory. Parents should weigh the inspection findings carefully against the school’s published exam results.

The school is heavily oversubscribed: for 171 places in 2025/26, it received 400 total applications, with 210 first-preference applications and 162 first-preference offers, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.34. It is a mixed, non-denominational state grammar school with a sixth form, and its facilities include a swimming pool, gymnasium, astro turf, science labs, music rooms, art studios, and a chapel. The school supports a wide range of SEND needs, including dyslexia, autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language difficulties, and physical disabilities. Clubs and activities include the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Model UN, debating, coding, and Young Enterprise. With 6.1% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the intake is less disadvantaged than many local schools. This is a school for families who prioritise strong academic outcomes and are comfortable navigating the tension between those results and a recent Inadequate Ofsted rating.

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