St Stephen's Tockholes CofE Primary School

About St Stephen's Tockholes CofE Primary School

Parents considering St Stephen's Tockholes CofE Primary School will find a small, popular village school with strong local demand. The school received 27 applications for just 5 places in the 2025/26 admissions round, giving an oversubscription ratio of 5.4, meaning more than five families applied for every available spot. Only three of those applications were first-preference choices, suggesting many families are listing it as a backup option despite the high competition. The school has a total capacity of 70 pupils but currently enrols just 56, so there is some room to grow. Ofsted rated the school Good overall in its most recent graded inspection in 2016, and a subsequent ungraded inspection in 2021 confirmed it remains Good. That represents a clear improvement from the previous inspection in 2014, when the school was judged to require improvement. The early years provision, leadership and management are all rated Good, giving parents a solid foundation of confidence in the school's direction under headteacher Mark Power.

Academically, the school's Key Stage 2 results for 2023/24 show a mixed picture. Just 30% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which is well below the local authority average of 59% for similar schools. This places St Stephen's 48th out of 52 primary schools in Blackburn with Darwen, putting it in the bottom 10% locally and the bottom 3% nationally. Looking at individual subjects, 70% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, 60% in maths, and 50% in writing. The average scaled scores were 106 in reading and 104 in maths, both slightly above the national average of 100. However, no pupils achieved the higher standard in reading, writing and maths combined, and only 30% did so in maths and reading individually. The school's progress scores are not available, so it is unclear whether pupils typically make strong gains from their starting points.

The school offers a range of facilities including an ICT suite, library, sports hall, art studios, music rooms and a chapel, plus sports such as football, cricket, cross country and swimming. Clubs include science club, drama and choir. For children with additional needs, the school provides support for specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. With just 56 pupils on roll, class sizes are very small, which can suit children who thrive with close attention. The Church of England character may appeal to families seeking a faith-based setting, though the school is open to all. Given the high oversubscription and below-average results, this school is likely to suit families who prioritise a small, community-focused environment over academic league table performance, and who are prepared for a competitive admissions process.

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