Great Harwood St John's Church of England Primary School, Blackburn
Great Harwood St John's Church of England Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 5 to 11 in Blackburn. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2023. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 47th-highest of the 49 schools in Blackburn with published results, and 13,485th of 14,452 across England. It was 89% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2023)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
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
Great Harwood St John's Church of England Primary School in detail
Great Harwood St John's Church of England Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "We are committed to developing our pupils' understanding of the Christian faith. Within this context, the school teaches respect for other world religions, whilst maintaining Christian values in its ethos and teaching. Christian collective worship is a significant part of our school's daily life."
The school runs after-school care until 6:00pm.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 56% of Year 6 pupils at Great Harwood St John's Church of England Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 56% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 74% in Lancashire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 45% in reading and 80% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Great Harwood St John's Church of England Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 22 families put Great Harwood St John's Church of England Primary School as their first choice and 59 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 Great Harwood St John's Church of England Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Great Harwood St John's Church of England Primary School are St Wulstan's Roman Catholic Primary School, Great Harwood (0.3 miles, Good, 55% reading, 36% maths); Great Harwood Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 61% reading, 82% maths); Great Harwood St Bartholomew's Parish Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 74% reading, 74% maths); and St Hubert's Roman Catholic Primary School, Great Harwood (0.7 miles, Good, 73% reading, 73% maths).
Great Harwood St John's Church of England Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
St Wulstan's Roman Catholic Primary School, Great HarwoodGreat Harwood Primary SchoolGreat Harwood St Bartholomew's Parish Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolSt Hubert's Roman Catholic Primary School, Great Harwood
Who goes there
46.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 36.7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (56%), Asian (32%) and Mixed (10%).
In 2026, 17 pupils (10.8%) received SEN support and 8 (5.1%) 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.
Staffing
Great Harwood St John's Church of England Primary School had 10 teachers in 2026, one for every 16 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Rishton Rail Station, about 1.3 miles away in a straight line.
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Huberts Road (by), 120 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Great Harwood St John's Church of England Primary School stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Great Harwood St John's Church of England Primary School issued 3 suspensions, 1.9 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; 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 agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its September 2023 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Early years.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management.
At a Glance
46.2%
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 45% to 56% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 80% to 56% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 65% to 50% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
26.3
Avg class size
22.0
Infant (KS1)
30.7
KS2
6
Total classes
2 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Great Harwood St John's Church of England Primary School
From Great Harwood St John's Church of England Primary School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Great Harwood St John's Church of England Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Great Harwood St John's Church of England Primary School.
- PALS- St Wulstan's Primary School420m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Great Harwood St John's Church of England 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. Great Harwood St John's Church of England 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
- 19
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 19 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 14 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
4 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 Great Harwood St John's Church of England Primary School
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What the report includes for Great Harwood St John's Church of England Primary School:
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- Applications, first choices and offers at Great Harwood St John's Church of England 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
89%
Available places
156 pupils
175 places
19 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(12)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
17
SEN Support
8
EHC Plans
15.8%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
158
Total Pupils
86
Boys
72
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
10
Teachers
15.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,253
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,593
Per pupil
£1243k
Total funding
£105k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.7%
Overall absence
17.4%
Persistent absence
149
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
Great Harwood St John's Church of England Primary School
Questions parents ask about Great Harwood St John's Church of England Primary School
What are SATs results like at Great Harwood St John's Church of England Primary School?
Of the pupils at Great Harwood St John's Church of England Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 56% reached the expected standard in reading and 56% did so in maths.
What is Great Harwood St John's Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Great Harwood St John's Church of England Primary School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in September 2023.
What is the catchment area for Great Harwood St John's Church of England Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Great Harwood St John's Church of England 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 Great Harwood St John's Church of England Primary School?
Great Harwood St John's Church of England Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 89% of its 175 places.
How big are the classes at Great Harwood St John's Church of England Primary School?
Classes at Great Harwood St John's Church of England Primary School average 26.3 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 Great Harwood St John's Church of England Primary School?
Great Harwood St John's Church of England Primary School has around 158 pupils on roll. 46% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Great Harwood St John's Church of England Primary School?
5.7% of sessions were missed at Great Harwood St John's Church of England Primary School in 2024/25. 17.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Great Harwood St John's Church of England Primary School?
Apply through Lancashire's coordinated admissions process, naming Great Harwood St John's Church of England 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 Great Harwood St John's Church of England Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Great Harwood St John's Church of England Primary School: PALS- St Wulstan's Primary School (420m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Great Harwood St John's Church of England Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 19 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 14 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 4 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 Great Harwood St John's Church of England Primary School?
Great Harwood St John's Church of England Primary School is at St John's Street, Great Harwood, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB6 7ES.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)