Rawtenstall Balladen Community Primary School

About Rawtenstall Balladen Community Primary School

Rawtenstall Balladen Community Primary School sits within Lancashire local authority, a large primary landscape of 480 schools where it currently ranks 421st. Among its local peers in Rossendale, the school is placed 31st out of 31 primary schools, placing it at the bottom of the borough's rankings. For context, the top-performing schools 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 score significantly higher on the same ranking metric. The nearest school rated Outstanding by Ofsted is St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School in Haslingden, just two kilometres away. Balladen is a mixed, non-denominational state primary for children aged 4 to 11, with a current roll of 120 pupils against a capacity of 210, meaning it is operating well below capacity. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is 45%, which is notably high and reflects the school's community context.

Academically, the school's most recent Key Stage 2 results for 2023/24 show that just 12% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a Lancashire local authority average of 60%. No pupils achieved the higher standard across all three subjects. In reading, 36% met the expected standard and 4% reached the higher standard; in writing, 40% met the expected standard and none reached the higher standard; in maths, 12% met the expected standard and 4% reached the higher standard. Average scaled scores were 98 in reading and 93 in maths. The school's most recent Ofsted inspection in October 2024 judged the overall effectiveness as 'Not judged' because it was a graded inspection following a previous 'Requires improvement' rating. The quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, and leadership and management were all rated 'Requires improvement', while personal development was rated 'Good'. Early years provision was also rated 'Requires improvement'.

The school offers a range of facilities including a music room, ICT suite, forest school, gymnasium, outdoor playground and a chapel. Sports on offer include cricket, netball, swimming, football and cross country, and clubs include drama, choir, science club, chess, eco club and coding. The school's SEND provisions cover specific learning difficulties including dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social emotional and mental health needs, speech language and communication needs, autistic spectrum disorder, and other difficulties or disabilities. For the 2025/26 intake, the school was oversubscribed with 14 applications for 9 places, and all 9 first-preference applicants were offered a place. Parent View responses from 16 respondents between September 2024 and September 2025 were mixed: 50% would recommend the school, but 38% strongly disagreed that their child is happy, and 38% strongly disagreed that bullying is dealt with effectively. This school may suit families who value its small size and range of extracurricular activities, but the academic outcomes and parent satisfaction data suggest significant challenges remain.

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