Bacup Thorn Primary School, Bacup
Bacup Thorn Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Bacup. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2023. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the highest of the 8 schools in Bacup with published results, and 5,545th of 14,452 across England. It was 87% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2023)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Lancashire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Bacup Thorn Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 76% of Year 6 pupils at Bacup Thorn Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 85% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 74% in Lancashire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 63% in reading and 69% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Bacup Thorn Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 23 families put Bacup Thorn Primary School as their first choice and 50 named it as one of their preferences, for 24 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Bacup Thorn Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Bacup Thorn Primary School are St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy (0.5 miles, Inadequate, 48% reading, 30% maths); Northern Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 65% reading, 65% maths); Sharneyford Primary School (0.9 miles, Good, 60% reading, 50% maths); and Bacup St Saviour's Community Primary School (1 mile, Good, 73% reading, 73% maths).
Bacup Thorn Primary School's 2025 results were higher than all 4 of them.
St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary AcademyNorthern Primary SchoolSharneyford Primary SchoolBacup St Saviour's Community Primary School
Who goes there
41.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 3.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Bacup Thorn Primary School.
11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Earnshaw Road (by), 260 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Bacup Thorn Primary School stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. On income deprivation affecting children it is in the 4th decile, where the 1st is the most deprived. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Bacup Thorn Primary School issued 2 suspensions, 0.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its November 2023 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
41.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 63% to 76% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 69% to 85% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 69% to 74% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
28.1
Avg class size
30.7
Infant (KS1)
26.8
KS2
9
Total classes
2 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Bacup Thorn Primary School
Term dates
Bacup Thorn Primary School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Lancashire. Training (INSET) days, when pupils are not in school, vary by school: check the school's own calendar.
2026 to 2027
- Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026)
- Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027)
- Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027)
2027 to 2028
- Autumn term: Wednesday 1 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027)
- Spring term: Tuesday 4 January to Friday 31 March 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028)
- Summer term: Tuesday 18 April to Friday 21 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028)
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Bacup Thorn Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Bacup Thorn Primary School is in Lancashire; for families living there:
- Lancashire's school travel policy: school transport policies
- How to apply: Apply for free home to school transport assistance
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 15
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 9
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 15 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 12 slight.
9 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 5 in a vehicle or otherwise.
2 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Lancashire is 12 (the median across 707 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Bacup Thorn Primary School
Will you get a place at Bacup Thorn Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Bacup Thorn Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Bacup Thorn Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Bacup Thorn Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Lancashire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Bacup Thorn Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Lancashire got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
87%
Available places
274 pupils
315 places
41 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Bacup
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Bacup
Across Lancashire council
Places available
15,442
Applications
12,122
Got 1st preference
91.3%
Got preferred school
98.3%
All primary applications across Lancashire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(4)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
28
SEN Support
15
EHC Plans
17.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
253
Total Pupils
119
Boys
134
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
14
Teachers
18.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,988
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,765
Per pupil
£1817k
Total funding
£164k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.5%
Overall absence
8.0%
Persistent absence
251
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Bacup Thorn Primary School
Questions parents ask about Bacup Thorn Primary School
What are SATs results like at Bacup Thorn Primary School?
Of the pupils at Bacup Thorn Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 76% reached the expected standard in reading and 85% did so in maths.
What is Bacup Thorn Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Bacup Thorn Primary School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in November 2023. At its previous graded inspection in 2008 it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Bacup Thorn Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Bacup Thorn Primary School is oversubscribed, Lancashire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Bacup Thorn Primary School?
Bacup Thorn Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 87% of its 315 places.
How big are the classes at Bacup Thorn Primary School?
Classes at Bacup Thorn Primary School average 28.1 pupils (2025/26). 2 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Bacup Thorn Primary School?
Bacup Thorn Primary School has around 253 pupils on roll. 42% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Bacup Thorn Primary School?
4.5% of sessions were missed at Bacup Thorn Primary School in 2024/25. 8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Bacup Thorn Primary School?
Apply through Lancashire's coordinated admissions process, naming Bacup Thorn Primary School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
What are Bacup Thorn Primary School's term dates?
Bacup Thorn Primary School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Lancashire. In 2026 to 2027: Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026); Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027); Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027). In 2027 to 2028: Autumn term: Wednesday 1 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027); Spring term: Tuesday 4 January to Friday 31 March 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028); Summer term: Tuesday 18 April to Friday 21 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028).
How many road collisions happen near Bacup Thorn Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 15 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 12 slight. 9 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 5 in a vehicle or otherwise. 2 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Lancashire is 12 (the median across 707 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Bacup Thorn Primary School?
Bacup Thorn Primary School is at Cowtoot Lane, Bacup, Lancashire, OL13 8EF.
Sources: Lancashire term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)