West Craven High School

About West Craven High School

West Craven High School’s headline Progress 8 score of -0.99 places it well below the Lancashire local authority average of -0.11 for secondary schools, a gap that marks it as one of the lowest-performing schools in the county. Within Pendle, it ranks last out of six schools, and across Lancashire it sits at 80th out of 90 state secondaries. The school’s Progress 8 banding is officially described as “well below average,” and its national percentile of 96 — meaning 96% of schools nationally achieve a stronger score — underscores the challenge. This is a school where academic outcomes are significantly weaker than peers in the same area, and the data suggests that pupils here, on average, make nearly a full grade less progress across their eight best subjects than students in similar schools across the country.

In its most recent Ofsted inspection in July 2024, the school was rated Requires Improvement across every category: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. This was a repeat of the same rating from its previous inspection in 2022, so there has been no upward movement. On specific exam metrics, the school’s Attainment 8 score sits at 33.7, compared with a national average typically around 50, and only 27.8% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in English and maths. The EBacc entry rate is low at 18.3%, and just 3.2% of pupils achieved the EBacc at grade 5 or above. Progress in English and maths is particularly weak, with scores of -0.81 and -0.77 respectively, while open subjects and languages show even steeper negative progress.

Despite the academic picture, West Craven offers a broad range of facilities including a swimming pool, theatre, astro turf, science labs, and music rooms, plus clubs such as the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Young Enterprise, and a choir. The school supports a wide array of SEND needs, from dyslexia and autism to speech and language difficulties and physical disabilities. With 591 pupils against a capacity of 845, the school is undersubscribed, yet it was oversubscribed for 2025/26 admissions — 167 applications for 96 places, with 90 first-preference offers made. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is 27.7%, above the national average. This school may suit families who value its facilities and inclusive SEND support, but the academic data and Ofsted rating are significant considerations for any parent weighing up options.

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