Gisburn Primary School

About Gisburn Primary School

Gisburn Primary School is a small state primary in the Ribble Valley area of Lancashire, and it stands out as the top-ranked school in its local authority for Key Stage 2 outcomes. Among 25 primary schools in the Ribble Valley, it sits at number one, placing it in the top 5% of schools locally. Its nearest peers in the rankings include Crawford Village Primary School, New Longton All Saints CofE Primary School, and St George's Church of England Primary School in Chorley. The school is a mixed, non-religious primary for children aged 4 to 11, with 137 pupils on roll — just under its capacity of 140. Headteacher Lisa McCloskey leads a school that has been rated Good overall by Ofsted in its most recent inspection in 2025, though it previously held an Outstanding rating. The school is clearly popular with local families: for the 2025/26 admissions cycle, it received 35 applications for just 19 places, with 16 of those applications as first preferences, making it oversubscribed by a ratio of 1.84.

Academically, Gisburn Primary School delivers strong results. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 91% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths combined — well above the Lancashire local authority average of 60%. The school also excels at the higher standard, with 27% of pupils achieving that level across all three subjects. In maths specifically, every pupil reached the expected standard, and half achieved the higher standard, with an average score of 110. Reading and writing also performed strongly: 91% reached the expected standard in reading, with 41% at the higher level, and 100% met the expected standard in writing, with 36% at the higher level. Nationally, the school ranks in the top 2% of all primary schools, and within the North West region it sits at 43rd out of 2,065. Ofsted’s breakdown from the 2025 inspection shows behaviour and attitudes and early years provision both rated Outstanding, while quality of education, personal development, and leadership and management are all Good.

The school offers a solid range of facilities and activities for its size, including an art studio, sensory room, gymnasium, outdoor playground, forest school, music rooms, and a chapel. Sports provision covers gymnastics, netball, football, cross country, cricket, rounders, and tennis, while clubs include book club, coding, choir, eco club, film club, and drama. For children with additional needs, the school supports social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, and other difficulties or disabilities. Parent feedback is very positive: 89% of respondents would recommend the school, and strong majorities agreed or strongly agreed that their child is happy (89%), feels safe (95%), and that the school has high expectations (97%). With its small size, strong academic record, and oversubscribed places, Gisburn Primary School is best suited to families living close enough to secure a place, particularly those who value a high-performing village school with a broad extracurricular offer.

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