Padiham St Leonard's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School

About Padiham St Leonard's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School

Padiham St Leonard's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School is a mixed state primary for children aged 3 to 11, located in Burnley within the Lancashire local authority. Among the 28 primary schools in Burnley, it ranks 4th on the key stage 2 expected standard measure, placing it in the top 15% locally. The top-performing 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 in Chorley, all of which achieved higher ranking scores. The school is led by headteacher Beverly Holmes and has a Church of England religious character. With 334 pupils on roll against a capacity of 341, it is very close to full. Notably, 41.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the national average, reflecting the school's role in a community with significant socio-economic challenges.

Academically, Padiham St Leonard's most recent Ofsted inspection in 2024 rated the school as Requires Improvement overall, a drop from its previous Good rating. The inspection found that quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, and leadership and management all require improvement, while early years provision and personal development were judged Good. At key stage 2 in 2023/24, 69% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which is above the Lancashire local authority average of 60%. However, only 8% reached the higher standard in all three subjects. Reading and maths average scores were 105 and 106 respectively, both slightly above the national average. The school's performance in the North West region places it in the 32nd percentile nationally, and 670th out of 2,065 primary schools in the region.

The school offers a broad range of facilities including a sports hall, playing fields, a sensory room, music rooms, a forest school, library, art studios, and a chapel. Sports provision covers rounders, football, cricket, tennis, and cross country, while clubs include gardening, book club, film club, eco club, science club, and art club. The school has a dedicated SEN unit and supports a wide range of needs, including autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language difficulties, and social, emotional and mental health needs. For 2025/26 admissions, the school was oversubscribed with 71 applications for 35 places, and all 35 first-preference applicants were offered a place, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.03. This is a school that suits families seeking a Church of England primary with strong local academic performance relative to the area, a supportive SEN framework, and a full range of extracurricular activities, though the recent Ofsted rating warrants attention.

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