Barden Primary School, Burnley

From the headteacher's welcome: "My name is Mrs Holgate and I am the Headteacher at Barden Primary School. I would very much like to welcome you and your child to the thriving school community of Barden. Barden is a happy, caring school where hard work and good behaviour are expected and achieved."

In 2025, 71% of Year 6 pupils at Barden Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 74% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 74% in Lancashire and 77% and 75% across England.

Results rose from 60% in reading and 69% in maths in 2024.

For September 2026 entry, 94 families put Barden Primary School as their first choice and 224 named it as one of their preferences, for 57 places offered. That is 1.6 first choices for every place. 37 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state primary schools to Barden Primary School are Heasandford Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 71% reading, 73% maths); Burnley Stoneyholme Community Primary School (0.6 miles, Outstanding, 87% reading, 82% maths); St John the Baptist RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy (0.6 miles, 72% reading, 69% maths); and Casterton Primary Academy (0.7 miles, Good, 86% reading, 74% maths).

Barden Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.

74.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 66 pupils (13.9%) received SEN support and 41 (8.6%) 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 speech, language and communication needs.

Barden Primary School has a resourced provision (16 places, 16 pupils on roll) and a SEN unit (16 places, 16 pupils on roll) for speech, language and communication needs and autism.

The nearest railway station is Burnley Central Rail Station, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.

14 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Pratt Street (by), 70 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Barden Primary School stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 233 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and public order offences. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Lancashire (109), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Barden Primary School issued 1 suspension, 0.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The secondary schools closest to Barden Primary School are Sir John Thursby Community College (0.8 miles); Blessed Trinity Roman Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy (0.9 miles); and Unity College (1.8 miles).