St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School, Stacksteads, Bacup

About St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School, Stacksteads, Bacup

St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Primary School in Stacksteads, Bacup, sits well below the Lancashire local authority average for Key Stage 2 outcomes, with just 14% of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a county average of 60%. This places the school 415th out of 480 primary schools in Lancashire and in the bottom 50 nationally. The gap is stark, but the context matters: 58.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the national average, and the school is small, with 132 children on roll. Its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2022 rated overall effectiveness as Good, a significant improvement from its previous Requires Improvement rating in 2018. The early years provision was judged Outstanding, and behaviour, personal development, leadership and management all scored Good. So while headline academic metrics are low, the school has clearly turned a corner in quality of care and leadership.

Looking more closely at the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, the picture is mixed. In reading, 52% of pupils met the expected standard and 14% achieved a higher score, with an average scaled score of 102. Maths was weaker: 43% reached the expected standard and 10% hit the higher threshold, with an average score of 100. Writing was the biggest challenge, with only 14% meeting the expected standard and none reaching the higher mark. No progress scores are available, so it is hard to say how much value the school adds relative to starting points. The school ranks 30th out of 31 schools in Rossendale on the combined RWM metric, and 2,048th out of 2,065 in the North West. These are sobering figures, but they reflect a cohort with high deprivation rather than a failing school — Ofsted’s Good rating suggests the school is doing solid work in difficult circumstances.

The school offers a range of facilities including a chapel, forest school, music rooms, playing fields and an outdoor playground, plus clubs like gardening, chess and book club. Sports include dance, rounders, football and cross country. SEND provision covers dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social and emotional needs, speech and language issues, and autistic spectrum disorder. Nursery provision is available from age three. Admissions are oversubscribed: for 2025/26, there were 35 applications for 14 places, with all 14 first-preference families offered a spot, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.5. This suggests strong local demand despite the academic results. The nearest Outstanding-rated primary is St Peter’s Roman Catholic Primary in Newchurch, 2.5 km away. St Joseph’s will suit families who value a small, faith-based community with strong early years provision and a supportive approach to SEND, and who are realistic about the academic challenges linked to high deprivation.

Key Details

Frequently Asked Questions About St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School, Stacksteads, Bacup

Helpful Guides for Parents