Turton and Edgworth CofE/Methodist Controlled Primary School

About Turton and Edgworth CofE/Methodist Controlled Primary School

Turton and Edgworth CofE/Methodist Controlled Primary School is a smaller-than-average primary, with 185 pupils on roll against a capacity of 210. That leaves some physical headroom, but demand is clearly strong: for the 2025/26 intake, the school received 30 applications for 24 places, making it officially oversubscribed. Of those, 22 were first-preference applications, and 22 first-preference offers were made — meaning every family who put it first got a place, but latecomers or those listing it lower faced competition. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals sits at 5.9%, well below the national average for primary schools (typically around 23%) and notably lower than the local authority average. This suggests an intake skewed towards more affluent families, which is consistent with the school’s semi-rural location on the edge of the West Pennine Moors. The school is a voluntary controlled Church of England/Methodist foundation, so its religious character may also shape the demographic profile of families who apply.

Academically, the school performs solidly above the local average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 70% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a Blackburn with Darwen average of 59%. That places the school 18th out of 52 primaries in the local authority, and in the top 50% nationally. Results are strongest in writing, where 89% met expectations, and reading and maths both hit 81%. At the higher standard, 15% achieved across all three subjects, with maths leading at 33% and reading at 30%. Progress scores are not available in the data, but the average scaled scores — 106 in maths and 105 in reading — are both above the national benchmark of 100. The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection, an ungraded visit in March 2024, confirmed it remains Good with an improving trajectory, following a full graded inspection in 2015 that also rated it Good across the board.

The school offers a broad range of facilities including a sports hall, gymnasium, playing fields, art studios and a chapel, with sports such as tennis, netball, cricket and cross country on the timetable. Clubs include drama, gardening, art, choir and chess. For families with children who have additional needs, the school lists support for seven categories of special educational provision, including dyslexia, speech and language needs, autistic spectrum disorder and physical disability. The oversubscription ratio of 1.25 suggests a popular but not impossibly competitive school for those living nearby. With no nursery provision and no sixth form, it is a straightforward primary for children aged 4 to 11. Given its strong but not elite results, below-average FSM intake, and Church of England/Methodist foundation, this school will particularly suit families who value a community-focused, faith-ethos primary with good academic outcomes and a calm, well-resourced environment.

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