Marsden Community Primary School, Nelson
Marsden Community Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 5 to 11 in Nelson. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in October 2013. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in March 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 9th-highest of the 16 schools in Nelson with published results, and 8,618th of 14,452 across England. For 2026 entry it had 1.3 first-choice applications for every place. It was 99% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2013)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 75 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Lancashire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 1 Nov 2026
Marsden Community Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 67% of Year 6 pupils at Marsden Community Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 82% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 74% in Lancashire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 76% in reading and 83% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Marsden Community Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 74 families put Marsden Community Primary School as their first choice and 163 named it as one of their preferences, for 59 places offered. That is 1.3 first choices for every place. 16 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Marsden Community Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Marsden Community Primary School are St John Southworth RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy (0.2 miles, 33% reading, 48% maths); Nelson St Paul's Church of England Primary School (0.2 miles, Good, 77% reading, 82% maths); Whitefield Infant School and Nursery (0.4 miles, Outstanding); and Nelson St Philip's Church of England Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 63% reading, 68% maths).
Marsden Community Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 3 schools.
St John Southworth RC Primary School, A Voluntary AcademyNelson St Paul's Church of England Primary SchoolWhitefield Infant School and NurseryNelson St Philip's Church of England Primary School
Who goes there
41.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 69.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Nelson Rail Station, about 330 metres away (roughly a 4-minute walk).
28 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Lancaster Gate (opposite), 200 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Marsden Community 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 356 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Lancashire (109), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
Marsden Community Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Marsden Community Primary School are Marsden Heights Community College (0.5 miles), Pendle Vale College (1.1 miles) and Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School (1.4 miles).
Marsden Heights Community CollegePendle Vale CollegeSs John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School
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
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoThis judgement is from October 2013, 13 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 October 2013 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
41.7%
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 declined from 76% to 67% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 82% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 80% to 75% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
29.7
Avg class size
29.7
Infant (KS1)
29.7
KS2
13
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Marsden Community Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Marsden Community Primary School.
- Excel Learning & Activity Centre270m away · Not yet graded
- Edenfield Childcare370m away · Not yet graded
- Learning Cubs - Nelson730m away · Not yet graded
Nurseries
The nearest nurseries and pre-schools to Marsden Community Primary School, with their latest published grades:
- Naik Gems Nursery - Pre-school, 0.2 miles
- Edenfield Nursery - Day nursery, 0.2 milesOfsted, 3 February 2022: Outstanding overall; safeguarding is effective
- Smartypants Exclusive Childcare Ltd - Day nursery, 0.2 milesOfsted, 19 August 2025: Outstanding overall; safeguarding is effective
- The Beacon Day Nursery - Day nursery, 0.3 milesOfsted, 31 January 2023: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Lynwood Nursery - Day nursery, 0.3 milesOfsted, 13 March 2024: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
Term dates
Marsden Community 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
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Marsden Community Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Marsden Community 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
- 67
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 10
- Children hurt
- 25
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 67 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 10 serious and 57 slight.
25 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 8 on foot and 17 in a vehicle or otherwise.
8 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 are DfT estimates (severity adjustment). Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Marsden Community Primary School
Will you get a place at Marsden Community Primary School?
For 2026 entry it had 74 first choices for 59 places. The report sets your home postcode against these figures.
£9.99 once (inc. VAT; £19.99 for up to three schools), or Pro £9 a month, every report included, cancel any time. What's in the report
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
99%
Near capacity
417 pupils
420 places
3 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
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: Oversubscribed
Future places in the local planning area
DfE estimates the Pendle/Nelson Primary planning area (Lancashire) will have 85 spare primary places in 2027/28. In the year groups that are short, it estimates 28 additional places needed.
Source: Department for Education, School capacity: Academic year 2024/25 (published 19 March 2026), estimates of future school place demand by planning area. Council pupil forecasts against reported places, counting places councils and DfE plan to add or remove; rounded to whole places. Explore Education Statistics
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
51
SEN Support
21
EHC Plans
17.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
415
Total Pupils
216
Boys
199
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
22
Teachers
18.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,766
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,519
Per pupil
£2553k
Total funding
£135k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.2%
Overall absence
11.6%
Persistent absence
362
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
Marsden Community Primary School
Questions parents ask about Marsden Community Primary School
What are SATs results like at Marsden Community Primary School?
Of the pupils at Marsden Community Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 67% reached the expected standard in reading and 82% did so in maths.
What is Marsden Community Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Marsden Community Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2023, was ungraded. At its last graded inspection, in October 2013, it was rated Good.
Is it hard to get a place at Marsden Community Primary School?
Marsden Community Primary School was close to full in 2025, at 99% of its 420 places.
How big are the classes at Marsden Community Primary School?
Classes at Marsden Community Primary School average 29.7 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils.
How many pupils go to Marsden Community Primary School?
Marsden Community Primary School has around 415 pupils on roll. 42% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Marsden Community Primary School?
5.2% of sessions were missed at Marsden Community Primary School in 2024/25. 11.6% of pupils were persistently absent.
Does Marsden Community Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 3 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of Marsden Community Primary School: Excel Learning & Activity Centre (270m away, registered, not yet graded), Edenfield Childcare (370m away, registered, not yet graded) and Learning Cubs - Nelson (730m away, registered, not yet graded).
What are Marsden Community Primary School's term dates?
Marsden Community 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 Marsden Community Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 67 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 10 serious and 57 slight. 25 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 8 on foot and 17 in a vehicle or otherwise. 8 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 Marsden Community Primary School?
Marsden Community Primary School is at Percy Street, Nelson, Lancashire, BB9 0BE.
Sources: Lancashire term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)