School profile

Barrowford School

Primary · Community school · Nelson, BB9 6EA

Requires improvement

Map showing Barrowford School

Schools
Numbers on map: pupil ages
Outstanding
Good
Requires improvement
Inadequate
Not rated

National ranking

Key stage 2 2024/25

#12,275 of 15,057

Worse than 81% of schools in England

Ranked by pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Barrowford School Ofsted rating

Ofsted report cardInspected 21 Apr 2026

Area360 rating
Requires improvement
Inclusion
Expected standard
Curriculum and teaching
Needs attention
Achievement
Needs attention
Attendance and behaviour
Needs attention
Personal development and wellbeing
Expected standard
Leadership and governance
Needs attention
Early years
Needs attention
Safeguarding
Met

School facts

PhasePrimary
TypeCommunity school
Ages4 to 11
Pupils312
GenderMixed
Head teacherMrs Rachel Tomlinson
Local authorityLancashire
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 119166.

Key stage 2 results

2024/25

Year 6 results in national curriculum tests and teacher assessments. The expected standard is the level pupils should reach by the end of primary school.

MeasureThis schoolLancashireEngland
Expected standard in reading, writing and maths50%, worse than England, worse than Lancashire60%63%
Higher standard in reading, writing and mathsScore of 110 or more in reading and maths, greater depth in writing.0%, worse than England, worse than Lancashire7%8%
Average reading scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.104, worse than England, similar to Lancashire105106
Average maths scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.102, worse than England, worse than Lancashire104105
Average grammar, punctuation and spelling scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.102, worse than England, worse than Lancashire105105
Expected standard in reading72%, worse than England, similar to Lancashire74%76%
Expected standard in writing50%, worse than England, worse than Lancashire71%73%
Expected standard in maths60%, worse than England, worse than Lancashire74%75%
Pupils taking tests60--

Source: DfE, Compare school performance, Compare school performance 2024-2025.

Pupils

2025/26

Pupils at the January school census.

MeasureThis school
Total pupils312
Girls126
Boys186
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.44.2%
First language not English15.1%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.420
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.25.7%
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.56
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.52
Average class size22.2

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics and School capacity, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Pupils ethnicity

2025/26

Share of pupils in each ethnic group, as recorded at the January school census.

Pupils ethnicity

White British
59.3%
Pakistani
22.8%
White and Asian
6.7%
Other ethnic group
3.2%
Other Asian
2.2%
White and Black Caribbean
1.6%
Bangladeshi
1.3%
Other White
1%
Other Black
0.6%
White and Black African
0.3%

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Teachers and staff

2025/26

Staff numbers are full-time equivalent (FTE). Teacher turnover shows where the school's teachers were by the following year's census.

MeasureThis school
Pupils per teacher16.8
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.7.2
Teachers (FTE)18.55
Teaching assistants (FTE)22.51
Support staff (FTE)27.1
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2519.9
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/2516.4
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/250
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/253.6

Source: DfE, School workforce in England, Reporting year 2025, published 04 Jun 2026.

Admissions

2026/27

Applications and offers for the main entry points. Offers from oversubscribed schools depend on each school's admissions criteria; check the local authority admissions page.

MeasureThis school
Offers made (Reception)Places offered on national offer day.19
Applications (Reception)Includes every preference parents listed.47
First preference applications (Reception)Families who put this school as their first choice.16
First preference offers (Reception)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.16
Applications from another local authority (Reception)0

Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers, Academic year 2026/27, published 18 Jun 2026.

Attendance

2025/26

Share of possible sessions missed.

MeasureThis schoolLancashireEngland
Overall absence11.6%, worse than England, worse than Lancashire5.1%5.1%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.40.1%, worse than England, worse than Lancashire13%13.2%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.4.9%, worse than England, worse than Lancashire1%1%

Source: DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England, Autumn and spring term 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

Suspensions and exclusions

2024/25

Suspension rate is the number of suspensions per 100 pupils, so one pupil can be counted more than once. A permanently excluded pupil is removed from the school roll.

MeasureThis school
Suspension rate0%
Pupils with one or more suspensions0%
Permanent exclusion rate0%
Permanent exclusions0

Source: DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, Academic year 2024/25, published 09 Jul 2026.

Nearby schools

Ratings include official Ofsted judgements and Area360 summaries of inspection grades. Open a school’s profile for its inspection grades and results.

Schools near Barrowford School
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.4 miPrimaryBarrowford St Thomas Church of England Primary SchoolVoluntary aided school
Outstanding
0.5 miPrimaryHoly Saviour Roman Catholic Primary School, NelsonVoluntary aided school
Good
0.7 miPrimaryBradley Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.8 miNot applicableAl-Ikhlaas Primary SchoolOther independent school
Unrated
0.9 miNurseryBradley Nursery SchoolLocal authority nursery school
Good
1.0 miPrimaryLomeshaye Junior SchoolCommunity school
Good
1.0 miPrimaryNelson St Philip's Church of England Primary SchoolVoluntary aided school
Good
1.0 miSecondaryPendle Vale CollegeCommunity school
Good
1.0 miPrimaryWhitefield Infant School and NurseryCommunity school
Outstanding
1.2 miPrimaryBlacko Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good

Frequently asked questions about Barrowford School

What is Barrowford School's Ofsted rating?

Barrowford School is rated Requires improvement, last inspected on 21 Apr 2026. Recent Ofsted inspections have no single overall grade, so Area360 summarises the inspection grades.

How does Barrowford School rank in England?

Barrowford School ranks 12,275 of 15,057 schools in England for Key stage 2 2024/25 (worse than 81% of schools).

What are Barrowford School's SATs results?

In 2024/25, 50% of pupils at Barrowford School met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (England 63%).

How hard is it to get into Barrowford School?

For Reception entry in 2026/27, Barrowford School made 19 offers from 47 applications (2.5 per offer), and 16 of 16 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend Barrowford School?

Barrowford School has 312 pupils aged 4 to 11.

What is the capacity of Barrowford School?

Barrowford School had 420 school places in 2024/25.

How big are classes at Barrowford School?

At Barrowford School, the average class had 22.2 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 16.8 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at Barrowford School?

In 2025/26, pupils at Barrowford School missed 11.6% of sessions (England 5.1%), and 40.1% were persistently absent, missing 10% or more of sessions (England 13.2%).

Figures are the latest published by the Department for Education for each measure. Small numbers are suppressed by the publisher to protect pupils' privacy. Read how Area360 school ratings and rankings work.