Rawtenstall Newchurch Church of England Primary School

About Rawtenstall Newchurch Church of England Primary School

Rawtenstall Newchurch Church of England Primary School is a small state primary in Rossendale, Lancashire, with 116 pupils on roll. It sits at the lower end of the local league table for primary schools in the borough, ranking 29th out of 31 schools on the key stage 2 expected standard measure. For context, the top-performing peers in the wider Lancashire 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. The school's most recent Ofsted inspection in January 2025 judged its overall effectiveness as 'Not judged' under the new framework, but the graded inspection gave it a 'Requires improvement' rating for both quality of education and early years provision. Behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management were all rated 'Good'. This marks a downgrade from its previous 'Good' rating in 2015, and the nearest school with an 'Outstanding' rating is St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Newchurch, just 0.4 km away.

Academically, the school's key stage 2 results for 2023/24 show that only 31% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths combined, well below the Lancashire local authority average of 60%. In reading, 62% met the expected standard and 15% reached the higher standard, while in writing the figures were 42% and 8% respectively. Maths was the weakest area, with 46% at the expected standard and just 8% at the higher standard. The average reading score was 104 and the average maths score was 100. Nationally, the school ranks in the bottom 5% of all primary schools on this combined measure, and within the North West region it sits in the 95th percentile from the bottom. No progress scores are available for any of the three subjects, so it is not possible to assess how much value the school adds relative to pupils' starting points.

The school is oversubscribed for 2025/26, with 37 applications for 18 places and 12 first-preference offers, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.06. Facilities include a library, music rooms, a forest school, a sensory room, and a chapel. Sports on offer include gymnastics, football, cricket, athletics, dance, and cross country, while clubs range from eco club and science club to film club, choir, drama, and art club. The school has identified SEND provisions for specific learning difficulties (dyslexia), moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. Parent View responses from 16 respondents were overwhelmingly positive: 94% would recommend the school, 100% felt their child was safe, and 94% agreed their child could take part in clubs and activities. However, with 50% of pupils eligible for free school meals and a 'Requires improvement' Ofsted rating, this is a school that may suit families who value strong pastoral care and a broad range of activities over top-tier academic results.

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