Best Schools in Rossendale

How many schools are there in Rossendale?

Rossendale has 24 open schools: 13 state primary, 4 state secondary or all-through, 5 special and 2 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Rossendale are rated Outstanding?

6 schools in Rossendale were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, Haslingden; Rawtenstall Cribden House Community Special School; Haslingden Broadway Primary School; St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Newchurch; Staghills Nursery School; and 1 more. Counting Good as well, 82% of the 22 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.

St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, HaslingdenRawtenstall Cribden House Community Special SchoolHaslingden Broadway Primary SchoolSt Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, NewchurchStaghills Nursery School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Rossendale get the best GCSE results?

Of the 5 schools in Rossendale with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 75.5 and 99% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Haslingden High School and Sixth Form, with an Attainment 8 score of 45.3 and 40% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and All Saints' Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 42.6 and 36% 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.

Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar SchoolHaslingden High School and Sixth FormAll Saints' Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Rossendale have the best SATs results?

Of the 13 primary schools in Rossendale with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Helmshore Primary School (91% in reading, 95% in maths); St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, Haslingden (95% in reading, 90% in maths); and St Anne's Church of England Primary School (89% in reading, 86% 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.

Helmshore Primary SchoolSt Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, HaslingdenSt Anne's Church of England Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Rossendale?

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

Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Rossendale have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Rossendale 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 Rossendale?

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.