Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Blackburn
Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Blackburn. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in April 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in September 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 7th-highest of the 49 schools in Blackburn with published results, and 1,757th of 14,452 across England. It was 87% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2014)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
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
Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School in detail
Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Our school is a very special place to teach, work and learn and we consider ourselves a small school but with a very great heart - a heart for God, a heart for learning and a heart for each other. Our school is a family."
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 93% of Year 6 pupils at Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 86% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 74% in Lancashire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (92% in reading, 85% in maths).
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 9 families put Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School as their first choice and 25 named it as one of their preferences, for 9 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School are St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, Osbaldeston (1.1 miles, Good, 79% reading, 79% maths); Mellor St Mary Church of England Primary School (1.5 miles, Good, 80% reading, 65% maths); Ribchester St Wilfrid's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School (2.2 miles, Good, 40% reading, 70% maths); and Alston Lane Catholic Primary School, Longridge (2.5 miles, 79% reading, 76% maths).
Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's 2025 results were higher than all 4 of them.
St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, OsbaldestonMellor St Mary Church of England Primary SchoolRibchester St Wilfrid's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolAlston Lane Catholic Primary School, Longridge
Who goes there
5.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 50.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Asian (69%) and White British (26%).
In 2026, 8 pupils (7.5%) received SEN support and 1 (0.9%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is a specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia.
Staffing
Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School had 6 teachers in 2026, one for every 15 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School.
1 bus stop is within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Leonards CEPS (outside), 170 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 1 crime within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Lancashire (109).
Suspensions and exclusions
Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
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; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoThis judgement is from April 2014, 12 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its April 2014 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
5.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 93% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 86% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 92% to 86% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
25.0
Avg class size
3
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
Balderstone Bulletin 2.10.26
2 Oct 2026
bulletin 25.9.26
25 Sep 2026
bulletin 18.9.26
18 Sep 2026
Bulletin 11.9.26
11 Sep 2026
From Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
Before and after school care
Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Lancashire
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School.
- Progressive Sports South LancashireAt the school · Not yet graded
Term dates
Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is a voluntary aided school, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Lancashire's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
You apply to the council where you live. Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided 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)
No injury road collisions were reported to the police within 500 m of the school's mapped location in 2021 to 2025.
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 Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
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What the report includes for Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School:
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- Applications, first choices and offers at Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided 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.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
87%
Available places
91 pupils
105 places
14 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Blackburn
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Blackburn
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(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
8
SEN Support
1
EHC Plans
8.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
106
Total Pupils
48
Boys
58
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
6
Teachers
17.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,638
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,156
Per pupil
£593k
Total funding
£11k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.8%
Overall absence
2.7%
Persistent absence
75
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
What are SATs results like at Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
Of the pupils at Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 93% reached the expected standard in reading and 86% did so in maths.
What is Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in September 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in April 2014, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided 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 Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 87% of its 105 places.
How big are the classes at Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
Classes at Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School average 25 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School has around 106 pupils on roll. 6% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
3.8% of sessions were missed at Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School in 2024/25. 2.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
Apply through Lancashire's coordinated admissions process, naming Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided 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.
Does Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Progressive Sports South Lancashire (registered, not yet graded).
How many road collisions happen near Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
No injury road collisions were reported to the police within 500 m of the school's mapped location in 2021 to 2025. The typical figure for schools in Lancashire is 12 (the median across 707 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is at Commons Lane, Balderstone, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB2 7LL.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)