St James-the-Less Roman Catholic Primary School, Rawtenstall

About St James-the-Less Roman Catholic Primary School, Rawtenstall

St James-the-Less Roman Catholic Primary School in Rawtenstall sits within the Lancashire local authority, where it ranks 7th out of 31 primary schools in the Rossendale area — comfortably inside the top quarter of its local peers. The school’s overall ranking score of 73 places it behind the top three performers in the same authority: Crawford Village Primary School, New Longton All Saints CofE Primary School, and St George’s Church of England Primary School in Chorley. As a Roman Catholic state primary for mixed-gender pupils aged 5 to 11, the school serves a community of 213 children, slightly above its official capacity of 210. The headteacher, Jessica Bell-Shaw, leads a school that has maintained a Good rating from Ofsted across both its most recent graded inspection in 2013 and an ungraded visit in 2023, which confirmed the school remains Good. For families prioritising faith-based education within a strong local ranking, this school is a solid option in the Rossendale area.

Academically, the school’s Key Stage 2 results for the 2023/24 academic year show that 73% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths combined — well above the Lancashire local authority average of 60%. In individual subjects, 87% reached the expected standard in writing, 80% in maths, and 77% in reading. At the higher standard, 27% achieved in maths, reading, and writing respectively, while 7% hit the higher threshold across all three subjects. Average scaled scores were 104 in both reading and maths. The school’s national ranking places it in the top 23% of all primary schools in England, and in the North West region it sits at 448th out of 2,065 schools. While progress scores are not available in the data, the strong attainment figures suggest pupils are performing well against national benchmarks, particularly in writing and maths.

The school offers a broad range of facilities including a Forest School, playing fields, sports hall, art studios, music rooms, and a chapel, reflecting its Catholic character. Sports provision covers football, cricket, gymnastics, cross country, swimming, and dance, while clubs include Eco Club, drama, and choir. The school supports pupils with a variety of special educational needs, including specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social emotional and mental health needs, speech language and communication needs, and visual impairment. Admissions for the 2025/26 year show the school is oversubscribed: 90 applications were received for 30 places, with 25 first-preference offers made — a ratio of three applicants per place. This level of demand suggests a popular local choice, particularly for Catholic families in Rawtenstall who value strong academic outcomes and a well-resourced setting.

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