Burnley Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School

About Burnley Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School

Burnley Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School sits within the Lancashire local authority, a state primary for mixed-gender pupils aged 4 to 11. In the most recent local rankings, it placed 7th out of 28 primary schools in Burnley, putting it in the top 25% of its immediate area. That’s a strong showing, though the top-performing peers in the wider Lancashire authority — Crawford Village Primary School, New Longton All Saints CofE Primary School, and St George’s Church of England Primary School in Chorley — all score higher on the same ranking metric. The school is also one of 480 state primary schools in Lancashire, and ranks 181st among them. Its nearest Outstanding-rated school is Burnley Stoneyholme Community Primary School, about a mile away. Holy Trinity itself holds a Good rating from its most recent graded inspection in 2013, and an ungraded inspection in 2022 confirmed it remains Good. That’s a notable improvement from its previous overall effectiveness rating of Requires Improvement in 2009.

Academically, the school’s Key Stage 2 results for the 2023/24 year show 66% of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths combined. That’s above the Lancashire local authority average of 60%, and places Holy Trinity in the top 50% nationally, at the 42nd percentile. In individual subjects, 79% met the expected standard in reading and in maths, with average scores of 105 and 104 respectively. Writing was slightly lower, with 69% reaching the expected level. At the higher standard, 21% of pupils achieved in reading and maths, but only 7% in writing. No pupils reached the higher standard across all three subjects. Progress scores are not available in the data, so it’s not possible to say how much value the school adds compared with pupils’ starting points. The school’s Ofsted breakdown from 2013 rated leadership and management as Good, and behaviour and attitudes were not separately graded at that inspection.

The school is oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, it received 89 applications for 30 places, with 37 first-preference applications and 29 offers made to first-preference families — an oversubscription ratio of 3.07. That suggests strong local demand. Facilities include a library, dining hall, sports hall, playing fields, a sensory room, and a chapel. Sports on offer include swimming, netball, tennis, and gymnastics, and clubs range from coding and drama to gardening and film club. The school supports a wide range of SEND needs, including autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language communication needs, social and emotional mental health, and visual impairment. With 54.5% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a significantly disadvantaged community. It’s a Church of England school with a religious character, and the headteacher is Alison Whitaker. This is a school that suits families looking for a Good-rated, oversubscribed primary in Burnley with strong KS2 outcomes above the local average and a broad set of extracurricular activities.

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