Gisburn Primary School, Clitheroe
Gisburn Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Clitheroe. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in July 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 2nd-highest of the 12 schools in Clitheroe with published results, and 247th of 14,452 across England. It was 98% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2019)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Lancashire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Gisburn Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 100% of Year 6 pupils at Gisburn Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 94% 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 (91% in reading, 100% in maths).
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Gisburn Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 16 families put Gisburn Primary School as their first choice and 25 named it as one of their preferences, for 16 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Gisburn Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Gisburn Primary School are Bolton by Bowland Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School (2.5 miles, Requires improvement, 67% reading, 83% maths); St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary Academy (3.2 miles, 67% reading, 87% maths); Gisburn Road Community Primary School (3.2 miles, Good, 83% reading, 71% maths); and Barnoldswick Church of England Controlled Primary School (3.7 miles, Good, 82% reading, 84% maths).
Gisburn Primary School's 2025 results were higher than all 3 of them.
Bolton by Bowland Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolSt Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary AcademyGisburn Road Community Primary SchoolBarnoldswick Church of England Controlled Primary School
What parents say
37 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Gisburn Primary School (as of September 2025): 89% would recommend the school, 89% say their child is happy there and 87% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school has high expectations for their child (97%); the weakest, that pupils behave well (87%).
Who goes there
8.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 0% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 11 pupils (7.9%) received SEN support and 1 (0.7%) 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 social, emotional and mental health needs.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Gisburn Primary School.
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Primary School (opposite), 80 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 3 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences and burglary. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Lancashire (109).
Suspensions and exclusions
Gisburn 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; Ofsted Parent View; 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 · 1 year agoThis judgement is from January 2019, 7 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's July 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Gisburn Primary School creates a warm, welcoming environment where children feel happy and settled. Pupils' behaviour is exemplary, and the school has high expectations for academic achievement that pupils consistently rise to meet. The school goes beyond academics to develop confident, well-rounded individuals through enrichment activities, responsibility roles, residential visits, and a thoughtful approach to personal development.
Key Strengths
- Exemplary pupil behaviour and positive relationships throughout the school - classrooms are calm and purposeful
- Excellent early years provision with skilled staff who develop children's curiosity for learning from the start
- Strong promotion of reading with most pupils becoming confident and fluent readers by the end of Year 2
- Ambitious support for pupils with special educational needs who study the full curriculum with tailored support
- Well-designed personal development programme including visits to different places of worship, aspirations days, and focus on mental health
Areas for Improvement
- In some subjects in key stages 1 and 2, checks on how well pupils learn new concepts are not effective enough, leading to gaps in knowledge that are not addressed well
- The school needs to refine its methods for checking what pupils remember over time to identify and address learning gaps more promptly
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
Extracurricular Activities
Drama clubs, well-being clubs, sports leaders roles, sports tournaments, school council, residential trips (London and outdoor activity centre), visits to mosques and synagogues, aspirations days
Gisburn Primary School is a village primary school where pupils flourish in a nurturing and inclusive environment with high expectations for achievement. The school has been judged as Good for quality of education, with Outstanding ratings for behaviour and attitudes and early years provision.
At a Glance
8.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
37 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 91% to 100% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 100% to 94% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 100% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
28.0
Avg class size
21.5
Infant (KS1)
33.0
KS2
5
Total classes
3 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Gisburn Primary School
Term dates
Gisburn 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 Gisburn Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Gisburn 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
- 5
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 3 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 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 Gisburn Primary School
Will you get a place at Gisburn Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Gisburn Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Gisburn Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Gisburn 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 Gisburn 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.
£9.99 once
One school, inc. VAT. Or £19.99 for up to three schools.
Pro £9 a month, every report included, cancel any time
A report for any school, plus everything else in Pro.
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
98%
Near capacity
137 pupils
140 places
3 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Clitheroe
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Clitheroe
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(9)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Outstanding, but Ofsted raised concerns; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
11
SEN Support
1
EHC Plans
8.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
140
Total Pupils
79
Boys
61
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
6
Teachers
23.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£54,098
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,370
Per pupil
£771k
Total funding
£12k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.3%
Overall absence
3.3%
Persistent absence
122
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Gisburn Primary School
What are SATs results like at Gisburn Primary School?
Of the pupils at Gisburn Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 100% reached the expected standard in reading and 94% did so in maths.
What is Gisburn Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Gisburn Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in July 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in January 2019, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Gisburn Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Gisburn 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 Gisburn Primary School?
Gisburn Primary School was close to full in 2025, at 98% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Gisburn Primary School?
Classes at Gisburn Primary School average 28 pupils (2025/26). 3 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Gisburn Primary School?
Gisburn Primary School has around 140 pupils on roll. 9% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Gisburn Primary School?
3.3% of sessions were missed at Gisburn Primary School in 2024/25. 3.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Gisburn Primary School?
Apply through Lancashire's coordinated admissions process, naming Gisburn 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 Gisburn Primary School's term dates?
Gisburn 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 Gisburn Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 3 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 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 Gisburn Primary School?
Gisburn Primary School is at Burnley Road, Gisburn, Clitheroe, Lancashire, BB7 4ET.
Sources: Lancashire term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)