Primary school in Nelson, Lancashire
Barrowford School
Rushton Street, Barrowford, Nelson, Lancashire, BB9 6EA
Ofsted
Inspected under the current framework, which gives no overall grade, on 21 April 2026.
Inspections since September 2024 do not give an overall grade, so there is no one-word judgement to report. The full report sets out what inspectors found.
Key stage 2 results 2024/25
Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Reached the higher standard
Average reading score
Average maths score
On the headline measure this school is in the bottom quarter of state-funded primaries in England.
Compared with the fifth of schools whose intake is most disadvantaged, which is where this one sits, it is in the lower half.
There are no progress measures for primary schools any more. They were calculated from a key stage 1 baseline, and statutory key stage 1 tests ended in 2023, so nothing has been published since. That makes attainment the only official measure — and attainment tracks intake closely, which is why the comparison against similar schools above is the more useful of the two lines.
Pupils
- Pupils on roll
- 312
- Places
- 420
- How full
- 74% full — 312 of 420 places taken, so places are likely to be available
- Girls / boys
- 126 / 186
- Overall absence
- 11%
- Persistently absent
- 41%
primary schools average 5.2%
primary schools average 12.8% — pupils missing 10% or more of sessions
- Free school meals, last 6 years
- 42%
- English as an additional language
- 17%
- With an EHC plan
- 16%
- On SEN support
- 19%
England 25.7%
England 18.7%
England 3.5%
England 15%
The neighbourhood around the school
Census 2021 figures for Pendle 008B, the statistical neighbourhood the school sits in — roughly 1,500 residents. It describes the area, not the pupils, who may travel in from further away.
- Adults with a degree
- 38%
- Adults with no qualifications
- 15%
- Households owning their home
- 83%
- Households in social housing
- 3%
- Households with no car
- 12%
- Adults economically inactive
- 43%
England 33.8%
England 18.3%
England 62.7%
England 17%
England 21.9%
England 39.9%
School details
- Type
- Community school
- Phase
- Primary
- Ages
- Ages 4–11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Sixth form
- No
- Nursery
- No
- Boarding
- Day school
- Headteacher
- Headteacher: Rachel Tomlinson
- Local authority
- Lancashire
- Ward
- Barrowford & Pendleside
- Constituency
- Pendle and Clitheroe
- URN
- 119166
The unique reference number used in all official school data.
Nearest primary schools
| School | Ofsted | Expected standard | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barrowford St Thomas Church of England Primary SchoolVoluntary aided school | Outstanding 2023 | 88% | 0.4 mi |
| Holy Saviour Roman Catholic Primary School, NelsonVoluntary aided school | Good 2024 | 57% | 0.5 mi |
| Bradley Primary SchoolCommunity school | Good 2024 | 60% | 0.7 mi |
| Al-Ikhlaas Primary SchoolOther independent school | No grade | — | 0.8 mi |
| Lomeshaye Junior SchoolCommunity school | Good 2022 | 80% | 1 mi |
| Nelson St Philip's Church of England Primary SchoolVoluntary aided school | Good 2023 | 58% | 1 mi |
| Whitefield Infant School and NurseryCommunity school | No grade | — | 1 mi |
| Blacko Primary SchoolAcademy converter | Good 2022 | 75% | 1.2 mi |
Schools with a similar intake
State-funded primary schools nationally whose share of disadvantaged pupils is closest to this school's. This is the fairest like-for-like comparison the published data supports.
| School | Ofsted | Expected standard |
|---|---|---|
| Queensbridge Primary SchoolCommunity school | Outstanding 2023 | 73% |
| Miles Coverdale Primary SchoolCommunity school | Outstanding 2024 | 73% |
| Wormholt Park Primary SchoolCommunity school | Good 2023 | 52% |
| Drayton Park Primary SchoolCommunity school | No grade | 85% |
| St John's Highbury Vale CofE Primary SchoolVoluntary aided school | Good 2023 | 62% |
| Bevington Primary SchoolCommunity school | Requires improvement 2024 | 77% |
| Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary SchoolVoluntary aided school | No grade | 90% |
| Haseltine Primary SchoolCommunity school | Good 2023 | 65% |
Where these figures come from
- School details, address and pupil numbers — Get Information About Schools, the DfE register, as at 14 August 2026.
- Exam results — DfE performance tables, 2024/25.
- Free school meals, EAL and SEN — school census, 2024/25.
- Ofsted — Ofsted management information, latest inspections as at 30 June 2026.
- Neighbourhood figures — ONS Census 2021, lower layer super output area.
All published under the Open Government Licence v3.0. If something here looks wrong, the school's own website is the authority on admissions and open days.