Best Schools in Clitheroe

How many schools are there in Clitheroe?

Clitheroe has 24 open schools: 16 state primary, 4 state secondary or all-through, 3 independent and 1 other.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Clitheroe are rated Outstanding?

3 schools in Clitheroe were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Clitheroe Royal Grammar School, Gisburn Primary School and Chatburn Church of England Primary School. Counting Good as well, 95% of the 20 graded schools here are rated Good or better. Ofsted stopped giving single-word overall grades in September 2024, so these are the grades from each school's last full inspection.

Clitheroe Royal Grammar SchoolGisburn Primary SchoolChatburn Church of England Primary School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Clitheroe get the best GCSE results?

Of the 4 schools in Clitheroe with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Clitheroe Royal Grammar School (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 70.8 and 99% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Bowland High, with an Attainment 8 score of 48.4 and 44% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and St Augustine's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 45 and 39% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Selective schools admit by ability, so their raw results are not a like-for-like comparison with comprehensives. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Clitheroe Royal Grammar SchoolBowland HighSt Augustine's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Clitheroe have the best SATs results?

Of the 12 primary schools in Clitheroe with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School, Hurst Green (100% in reading, 100% in maths); Gisburn Primary School (100% in reading, 94% in maths); and Barrow URC Primary School (90% in reading, 97% in maths). Small schools can swing a long way from one year to the next, because each pupil is a large share of the result.

St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School, Hurst GreenGisburn Primary SchoolBarrow URC Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Clitheroe?

Yes. Clitheroe Royal Grammar School is a state grammar school in Clitheroe. Grammar schools admit pupils by ability through an entrance test, usually sat at the start of Year 6.

Clitheroe Royal Grammar School

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Clitheroe have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Clitheroe have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, Lancashire allocates places on its published criteria - usually looked-after children first, then siblings, then home-to-school distance - so the practical cut-off moves each year. Each school's page here shows an estimate of its catchment radius.

How do I apply for a school place in Clitheroe?

Apply to Lancashire through its coordinated admissions process, even for academies and faith schools. In England the closing date is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts. Independent schools run their own admissions, so apply to those directly.