Gisburn Road Community Primary School

About Gisburn Road Community Primary School

Gisburn Road Community Primary School is a state primary in Pendle, part of Lancashire local authority, and sits 24th out of 33 primary schools in the borough on the key stage 2 expected standard measure. That puts it in the bottom half of Pendle's primary schools, though the local picture is competitive — the top-ranked peers in the wider Lancashire area 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 score significantly higher on the same metric. Gisburn Road's ranking score of 52 places it in the bottom 50% nationally, and 313th out of 480 primaries in Lancashire. The school is led by headteacher Laura Toor and caters for 198 pupils aged 4 to 11, with a capacity of 210. Just over a fifth of pupils (20.2%) are eligible for free school meals, which is slightly above the national average for primary schools.

Academically, the school's most recent Ofsted inspection in 2025 rated overall effectiveness as 'Not judged' under the new framework, but the graded elements were strong: behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and early years provision all received 'Outstanding', while quality of education and leadership and management were rated 'Good'. At key stage 2, 52% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined — below the Lancashire local authority average of 60%. Individual subject scores were more mixed: 68% met the expected standard in reading, maths and writing separately, but only 3% achieved the higher standard in reading, writing and maths combined. Average scores in reading and maths both sat at 103, exactly in line with the national average. The school's previous inspection in 2015 also rated it 'Good' overall, with early years provision at that time graded 'Requires Improvement'.

The school is oversubscribed for 2025/26, with 81 applications for 30 places and 29 first-preference offers from 39 first-preference applications — a ratio of 2.7 applicants per place. Facilities include a library, sports hall, playing fields, music rooms, art studios, an ICT suite, a sensory room, and a chapel. Sports on offer are football, rounders, cricket and swimming, while clubs range from science and coding to film, chess, choir and art. The school lists SEND provisions for specific learning difficulties, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, visual impairment, and autistic spectrum disorder. Parent View responses from 19 respondents were overwhelmingly positive: 95% would recommend the school, and 89% strongly agreed the school makes them aware of what their child will learn. This is a school that suits families who value strong pastoral care and personal development over raw academic rankings, and who are comfortable with a slightly below-average KS2 performance in a competitive local area.

Key Details

Frequently Asked Questions About Gisburn Road Community Primary School

Helpful Guides for Parents