Classpot

St John the Baptist RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy

Burnley, BB10 2PZPrimaryAges 4–11MixedState
Ofsted Rating
Good
May 2024
KS2 Results
69%
meeting expected standard in RWM
Competition
0.9×
Not oversubscribed
25 1st-choice / 28 places
Ranking
#4,731
of 13,686 nationally

About St John the Baptist RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy

St John the Baptist RC Primary School in Burnley is a smaller than average primary, with 212 pupils on roll against a capacity of 270. That leaves around a fifth of places unused, yet the school is clearly in demand: for the 2025/26 intake, it received 71 applications for just 28 places, an oversubscription ratio of 2.54. Of those, 25 were first-preference offers, suggesting strong local reputation. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals stands at 33.5%, well above the national average for primary schools (around 23%), reflecting the school's role in a community with higher-than-average deprivation. As a Roman Catholic voluntary academy, it serves a mixed-gender, 4-11 cohort and is led by headteacher Helen Bibby. The school's most recent Ofsted inspection, an ungraded visit in May 2024, confirmed it remains Good, a notable improvement from its previous graded inspection in 2014 when it was rated Requires Improvement. Leadership and management, as well as overall effectiveness, are now both rated Good.

Key Details

School TypePrimary (State)
Age Range4 to 11 years
GenderMixed
Religious CharacterRoman Catholic
AddressThames Avenue, Burnley, Burnley, BB10 2PZ
HeadteacherHelen Bibby
Local AuthorityLancashire
Number of Pupils212
Free School Meals (FSM)33.5%
School Capacity212 / 270 (79% full)

The full report on this school

The inspection in plain English, admissions context, and how this school compares to nearby alternatives — all in one full school report.

  • Ofsted inspection in plain English
    Strengths, concerns and what inspectors flagged
  • Parent View survey results
    What parents told Ofsted — when the school has 10+ responses
  • Where Ofsted and parents disagree
    Gaps to probe + questions to ask at the open day
  • Admissions & catchment
    Admission criteria, distance cutoffs (where the LA publishes them)
  • Nearby schools compared
    Backup options with Ofsted, demand and distance
  • Attendance & behaviour data
    Persistent absentees, suspensions and exclusions vs national
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Ofsted Inspection Breakdown

10 May 2024
View Report
Overall Effectiveness
Good
Leadership & Management
Good

Latest monitoring visit (10 May 2024): School remains Good

Source: Ofsted, 8 Apr 2014. Ratings: 1=Outstanding, 2=Good, 3=Requires Improvement, 4=Inadequate.

Facilities

7
Outdoor PlaygroundICT SuitePlaying FieldsSensory RoomArt StudiosForest SchoolChapel

Facilities may vary. Contact the school for current availability.

Extracurriculars

13

Sports

NetballCross CountryRoundersFootballCricketDanceAthletics

Clubs & Activities

Book ClubDramaEco ClubGardeningCodingFilm Club

Activities may vary by term. Contact the school for current offerings.

SEND Support

AutismDyslexiaMental HealthSpeech & LanguageLearning Difficulty

Source: Department for Education, 2024/25. Support availability based on current student population.

School day

Verified

Teaching hours

08:45 – 15:15

Breakfast club

08:00-08:30

Source: stjohnsrcprimary.co.uk. Extracted automatically — confirm with the school before relying on these times.

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Frequently Asked Questions About St John the Baptist RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy

St John the Baptist RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy has been rated "Good" by Ofsted. This means the school provides a good standard of education and effectively supports all pupils to succeed.