Haslingden St James Church of England Primary School

About Haslingden St James Church of England Primary School

Haslingden St James Church of England Primary School was rated Good in its most recent Ofsted inspection, a grade it has held consistently across both its graded inspections. The school’s most informative exam metric is the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which sits at 58%. That is very close to the Lancashire local authority average of 60%, placing the school in the middle of the pack locally — 16th out of 31 primary schools in Rossendale and 259th out of 480 across the wider county. In the North West region it ranks 1,219th out of 2,065 primary schools, putting it in the bottom half nationally. While the combined figure is modest, individual subject results are stronger: 77% of pupils met the expected standard in reading and 77% in maths, with average scaled scores of 103 and 104 respectively. Just 4% of pupils reached the higher standard across all three subjects, though 23% did so in reading alone.

The school’s Ofsted report from April 2024 was an ungraded inspection, meaning the overall Good rating was reaffirmed with the judgement that the school is ‘Improving’. The previous graded inspection in 2013 also awarded Good across the board, with leadership and management, early years provision and overall effectiveness all rated 2 (Good). The 2024 inspection noted that the school ‘remains Good (Improving)’, suggesting momentum. In terms of academic progress, the data does not include Progress 8 scores for this primary school, so the focus falls on attainment. The proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard in writing was 73%, slightly below reading and maths. The school’s ranking score of 58 out of 100 places it in the bottom 50% of schools nationally, but it is worth noting that the local authority has 31 outstanding primary schools, including St Mary’s Roman Catholic Primary School just 0.9 km away, so competition is stiff.

Haslingden St James is a Church of England primary school for children aged 3 to 11, with a nursery on site. It is oversubscribed: for 22 places in the 2025/26 intake, there were 54 applications, a ratio of 2.45 applicants per place, and all 21 first-preference applicants were offered a spot. The school has a range of facilities including a sensory room, ICT suite, library, music rooms, art studios, sports hall and a chapel. Sports offered include football, cricket, rounders and gymnastics, and clubs include art, chess, eco and science. The school provides for a broad range of SEND needs, including dyslexia, speech and language difficulties, autistic spectrum disorder and social, emotional and mental health support. With 32.8% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a relatively disadvantaged community. It will suit families who value a Church of England ethos, a strong SEND offer, and a school that is improving within a competitive local primary landscape.

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