Barrowford St Thomas Church of England Primary School

School overview

Barrowford St Thomas Church of England Primary School is a primary school serving Nelson, Lancashire, classified by the DfE as a voluntary aided school with a Church of England religious character. It has 121 pupils aged 4 to 11 on roll. At its most recent graded inspection, Ofsted rated Barrowford St Thomas Church of England Primary School 'Outstanding'. 88% of its pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths at the end of Key Stage 2, well above the national average (national figure: 61%). The proportion reaching the expected standard has risen by 9.0 percentage points year on year, though small year groups can make these figures swing sharply from year to year. On our composite score, which combines the DfE attainment measures above, this places it among the top 10% of primary schools in England.

Pupils achieved an average scaled score of 108 in reading and 106 in maths (national averages are about 105 and 104). 13% reached the higher standard across all three subjects (around 8% do so nationally). Barrowford St Thomas Church of England Primary School is oversubscribed: about 7 in 10 of the families who made it their first choice were offered a Reception place for September 2026, with 23 first choices for 17 places. Overall pupil absence was 3.7%. There are about 24.2 pupils per teacher. Its intake is relatively advantaged, with around 10% of pupils eligible for free school meals in the last six years versus about 24% nationally. When comparing schools, it is still worth visiting in person to see whether the atmosphere and approach suit your child. This overview is generated automatically from the latest published DfE performance tables and Ofsted data; figures are rounded, and you can check the originals via the official links above.