Barden Primary School

About Barden Primary School

Barden Primary School is a state-funded mixed primary for ages 4 to 11, located in Burnley within the Lancashire local authority. Among the 480 primary schools in the county, it ranks 329th, placing it in the bottom half locally. The top-performing peers in Lancashire include Crawford Village Primary School, New Longton All Saints CofE Primary School, and St George's Church of England Primary School, Chorley, all of which sit well above Barden in the rankings. The nearest school rated Outstanding by Ofsted is Burnley Stoneyholme Community Primary School, just 0.9 km away. Barden itself holds a Good rating from its most recent inspection in June 2024, a grade it has maintained since its previous inspection in December 2014, when it was also judged Good overall. The school is oversubscribed: for the 2025/26 intake, it received 193 applications for 57 places, with 81 first-preference applications, giving an oversubscription ratio of 3.39. This suggests strong local demand, despite its mid-table ranking.

In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 50% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths combined, which is below the Lancashire local authority average of 60%. The school’s national ranking for this metric places it in the bottom 50% of all primary schools. Looking at individual subjects, 69% reached the expected standard in maths, 60% in reading, and 66% in writing. At the higher standard, 26% achieved in maths, 15% in reading, and 13% in writing, while just 5% hit the higher benchmark across all three. Average scores were 104 in maths and 102 in reading. Progress scores are not available for any subject. In its 2024 Ofsted inspection, all five graded areas — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision — were rated Good, with no outstanding or requires improvement judgements. The school has a relatively high proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at 31%, which may be a factor in its academic profile.

Barden Primary School offers a range of facilities including an ICT suite, playing fields, an outdoor playground, a forest school, and a chapel. Sports provision covers netball, tennis, dance, swimming, football, gymnastics, and cricket, while extracurricular clubs include drama, choir, science club, and gardening. For pupils with additional needs, the school has a SEN unit and supports moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, and speech, language and communication needs. The school is oversubscribed, so families applying for a place should be aware that competition is high — only 57 of 193 applicants received offers. With a capacity of 430 and 468 pupils currently enrolled, the school is operating above its stated capacity. Barden suits families in Burnley who want a Good-rated, inclusive primary with a forest school and a broad sports offer, but who are realistic about its below-average academic outcomes compared with the Lancashire average.

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