Great Harwood St Bartholomew's Parish Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
83%
Capacity
174
Pupils
2.9x
Demand
About Great Harwood St Bartholomew's Parish Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
Great Harwood St Bartholomew's Parish Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School sits within the Lancashire local authority, in the Hyndburn borough, and is a state-funded Church of England primary for mixed-gender pupils aged 3 to 11. It ranks 1st out of 31 primary schools in Hyndburn, placing it in the top 25% nationally. Its closest peers in the local authority include Crawford Village Primary School, New Longton All Saints CofE Primary School, and St George's Church of England Primary School in Chorley, all of which also perform strongly. The school is led by headteacher Sarah Irvine and has a capacity of 210 pupils, with 174 currently on roll. Around 30.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is above the national average, reflecting the school's inclusive intake. It also offers nursery provision for younger children, making it a full primary option from early years through to Year 6.
Academically, the school has made significant strides. In its most recent Ofsted inspection in September 2023, it was rated Good overall, a clear improvement from its previous Requires Improvement rating in December 2019. Every inspected category — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision — was judged Good. At Key Stage 2, 75% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths combined, well above the Lancashire local authority average of 60%. In reading, 86% reached the expected standard and 39% achieved a higher score; in maths, 86% met expectations and 18% reached the higher threshold. Average scores were 106 in reading and 105 in maths. The school's ranking score of 75 on the KS2 reading, writing, and maths expected measure places it 79th out of 480 same-type schools across the wider Lancashire authority.
The school offers a solid range of facilities including a sports hall, ICT suite, art studios, playing fields, library, dining hall, and a chapel. Sports provision covers dance, swimming, gymnastics, cricket, tennis, netball, and rounders, while clubs include choir, science club, eco club, drama, and art club. SEND support is broad, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication difficulties, physical disabilities, autistic spectrum disorder, and other difficulties. For the 2025/26 intake, the school was oversubscribed: 55 applications were received for 19 places, with 15 first-preference offers made, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.89. This suggests strong local demand and a school that suits families seeking a faith-based primary with improving outcomes, strong SEND support, and a broad extracurricular offer in the Hyndburn area.
Key Details
| School Type | Primary (State) |
| Age Range | 3 to 11 years |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Religious Character | Church of England |
| Address | Ash Street, Blackburn, Hyndburn, BB6 7QA |
| Headteacher | Sarah Irvine |
| Local Authority | Lancashire |
| Number of Pupils | 174 |
| Free School Meals (FSM) | 30.6% |
| School Capacity | 174 / 210 (83% full) |
| Nursery Classes | Yes |
Ofsted Inspection Breakdown
19 Sept 2023Overall Effectiveness
Good
Additional Provisions
Source: Ofsted, 8 Nov 2023. Ratings: 1=Outstanding, 2=Good, 3=Requires Improvement, 4=Inadequate.
League Table Position
Based on KS2 Reading, Writing & Maths (75%)
2600th of 13,686
Nationally
360th of 2,065
In North West
1st of 31
In Hyndburn
Source: Classpot analysis of DfE KS2 Reading, Writing & Maths data
KS2 SATs Results
2023/24Reading, Writing & Maths Combined
75%
Expected Standard
4%
Higher Standard
'22/23
52%
'23/24
75%
Source: Department for Education, 2023/24. National expected standard benchmark is around 65%.
SEND Support
Source: Department for Education, 2024/25. Support availability based on current student population.
Facilities
7Facilities may vary. Contact the school for current availability.
Extracurriculars
12Sports
Clubs & Activities
Activities may vary by term. Contact the school for current offerings.
Admissions
2025/26Oversubscribed19
55
Good Demand
Popular school with more applications than places
15 families put this school as their 1st choice (27% of all applications)
Source: Department for Education, 2025/26. Data reflects national offer day applications and offers.
Class profile
2024/25Half of schools in England do better than this.
Better than 75% of schools in England.
Lower is generally better — fewer pupils per teacher or per class means more individual attention. Sources: DfE School Workforce Census & Schools, pupils and their characteristics, 2024/25.
Pupils & demographics
2024/25Above the national average (25%) — higher-disadvantage intake.
Lower than the national median (10%) — mostly English as first language.
Ethnic background
- White British82.2%
- Asian9.7%
- Mixed1.7%
- White (other)1.1%
Source: DfE Schools, pupils and their characteristics (2024/25). Percentages may not sum to 100% — pupils classified as “unclassified”, “refused” or minor categories are not shown.
Attendance & Behaviour
2024/25Better than 75% of schools in England.
Better than half of schools in England.
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
Half of schools in England do better than this.
A pupil temporarily sent home for behaviour.
Like most schools in England, no pupils were permanently excluded this year.
Ranks vs all state-funded schools in England. Source: DfE Pupil absence in schools & Suspensions and permanent exclusions.
Catchment & Local Competition
No catchment data published for this school
The dashed grey ring is a generic 1-mile reference area — it's not an admission boundary. Real catchment depends on year, demand, and council criteria. We currently have real data for about 6% of UK schools and are actively expanding the database.
⚠ This school is oversubscribed — without published cutoff data we can't show how far places reach. Check your council's admissions page.
Schools within 1 mile (reference area)
1 mile is a fixed reference, not this school's catchment.
5
Total schools
5
Oversubscribed
5
Primary
Don’t use the dashed grey ring as a catchment boundary — it’s a reference area for counting nearby schools only. Real admission boundaries depend on year-by-year demand and council criteria; ask the school or council for authoritative info.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Great Harwood St Bartholomew's Parish Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
Helpful Guides for Parents
Ofsted Ratings Explained
Understand the 4 Ofsted ratings and what they mean
How to Choose a Primary School
Step-by-step guide to choosing the right primary school
KS2 SATs Explained
A parent's guide to Year 6 SATs and how results are reported
SEN & EHCP: A Parent's Guide
Understanding SEN support, EHC Plans and your legal rights
Contact Information
Ash Street, Blackburn
Hyndburn, BB6 7QA
Journey to School
Journey times are estimates based on current conditions. Actual times may vary.
Opening Hours
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