Helmshore Primary School, Rossendale
Helmshore Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 5 to 11 in Rossendale. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2024. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the highest of the 13 schools in Rossendale with published results, and 814th of 14,452 across England. It was 92% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2024)
- 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
Helmshore Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 91% of Year 6 pupils at Helmshore Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 95% 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, 96% in maths).
Getting a place at Helmshore Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 49 families put Helmshore Primary School as their first choice and 135 named it as one of their preferences, for 55 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 Helmshore Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Helmshore Primary School are St Veronica's Roman Catholic Primary School, Helmshore (0.2 miles, Good, 85% reading, 92% maths); Haslingden Broadway Primary School (0.5 miles, Outstanding, 69% reading, 59% maths); Haslingden Primary School (0.9 miles, Good, 73% reading, 75% maths); and St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, Haslingden (1.2 miles, Outstanding, 95% reading, 90% maths).
Helmshore Primary School's 2025 results were higher than all 4 of them.
St Veronica's Roman Catholic Primary School, HelmshoreHaslingden Broadway Primary SchoolHaslingden Primary SchoolSt Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, Haslingden
Who goes there
5.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 33 pupils (8.3%) received SEN support and 8 (2%) 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
The nearest tram or metro stop is Rawtenstall (East Lancashire Railway), about 1.8 miles away in a straight line.
12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Helmshore PS (opposite), 40 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Helmshore Primary School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 42 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Lancashire (109).
Suspensions and exclusions
Helmshore Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Helmshore Primary School are Haslingden High School and Sixth Form (0.4 miles); and All Saints' Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy (1.1 miles).
Haslingden High School and Sixth FormAll Saints' Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy
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 January 2024 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Early years.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Leadership & management.
At a Glance
5.8%
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 remained stable at around 91% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 95% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 93% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
28.3
Avg class size
28.3
Infant (KS1)
28.3
KS2
13
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Helmshore Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Helmshore Primary School.
- Sportscool Haslingden Broadway Primary School Holiday Club850m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Helmshore 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 Helmshore Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Helmshore 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
- 11
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 9 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot.
7 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 Helmshore Primary School
Will you get a place at Helmshore Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Helmshore Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Helmshore Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Helmshore 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 Helmshore 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
92%
Near capacity
387 pupils
420 places
33 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Rossendale
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Rossendale
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(5)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
33
SEN Support
8
EHC Plans
10.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
397
Total Pupils
187
Boys
210
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
17
Teachers
23.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,773
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,040
Per pupil
£2098k
Total funding
£45k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.5%
Overall absence
6.4%
Persistent absence
346
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
Questions parents ask about Helmshore Primary School
What are SATs results like at Helmshore Primary School?
Of the pupils at Helmshore Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 91% reached the expected standard in reading and 95% did so in maths.
What is Helmshore Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Helmshore Primary School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in January 2024. At its previous graded inspection in 2012 it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Helmshore Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Helmshore 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 Helmshore Primary School?
Helmshore Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 92% of its 420 places.
How big are the classes at Helmshore Primary School?
Classes at Helmshore Primary School average 28.3 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Helmshore Primary School?
Helmshore Primary School has around 397 pupils on roll. 6% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Helmshore Primary School?
3.5% of sessions were missed at Helmshore Primary School in 2024/25. 6.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Helmshore Primary School?
Apply through Lancashire's coordinated admissions process, naming Helmshore 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 Helmshore Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Helmshore Primary School: Sportscool Haslingden Broadway Primary School Holiday Club (850m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
What are Helmshore Primary School's term dates?
Helmshore 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 Helmshore Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 9 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot. 7 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 Helmshore Primary School?
Helmshore Primary School is at Gregory Fold, Helmshore, Rossendale, Lancashire, BB4 4JW.
Sources: Lancashire term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)