Rawtenstall Cribden House Community Special School, Rossendale
Rawtenstall Cribden House Community Special School is a special school for pupils aged 5 to 11 in Rossendale. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2024.
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2024)
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Rawtenstall Cribden House Community Special School in detail
Rawtenstall Cribden House Community Special School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "We are an Outstanding primary school that meets the needs of a diverse range of special educational needs of children aged 4 to 11 years old. We have very high expectations of all children in school and celebrate every aspect of achievement."
Headteacher's welcome (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Rawtenstall Cribden House Community Special School are Belmont School (0.2 miles); Maple House School (0.5 miles, Good); Tor View School (0.6 miles, Outstanding); and Valley College (0.6 miles, Requires improvement).
Belmont SchoolMaple House SchoolTor View SchoolValley College
Who goes there
42.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 12.1% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (70%), Asian (18%) and Mixed (8%).
Almost every pupil at Rawtenstall Cribden House Community Special School has an education, health and care plan (116 of 116 in 2026). The most common need among them is autism.
Rawtenstall Cribden House Community Special School provides for pupils with speech, language and communication needs, autism and social, emotional and mental health needs.
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Rawtenstall (East Lancashire Railway), about 840 metres away (roughly a 10-minute walk).
5 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Union Road (opposite), 140 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
Rawtenstall Cribden House Community Special School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils love their happy, welcoming school. From the moment that they arrive each morning, they know that their day will be filled with exciting opportunities to learn. All pupils at the school have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They face considerable barriers to their learning and development. The school helps them to approach these challenges with confidence and enthusiasm. Pupils blossom, thrive and succeed through the excellent education that they receive.
The school has the highest expectations for what pupils can achieve. Pupils know how to complete tasks because staff explain things very clearly. If pupils need extra help, staff provide it readily. From the early years to Year 6, pupils achieve extremely well from their varied starting points.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
Pupils experience the very best education at this school. No stone is left unturned in supporting pupils to learn and to be as well prepared as possible for future life.
The school has created an exciting curriculum that fires pupils' enthusiasm for learning. Following the previous inspection, which highlighted weaknesses in a small number of subjects, the school acted quickly and decisively to address these issues. As a result, the curriculum is now even broader and contains the essential knowledge that the school wants pupils to learn in every subject from the early years through to Year 6. The curriculum takes full account of pupils' wide-ranging SEND. Key concepts have been broken down into small steps that pupils learn in a logical order. This ensures that pupils expand and deepen their knowledge over time. Pupils achieve consistently well in the range of subjects that they study, regardless of their starting points.
From Ofsted's May 2024 inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Outstanding at its May 2024 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
42.2%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Speech and language, Autism, SEMH
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 5% to 0% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 5% to 0% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 5% to 0% (2024 to 2025).
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with Rawtenstall Cribden House Community Special School
Getting There
Tube / Metro / Tram
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Rawtenstall Cribden House Community Special School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Rawtenstall Cribden House Community Special 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
- 9
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 9 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 4 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
1 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
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
127%
Over capacity
116 pupils
91 places
25 pupils over capacity
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Rossendale
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Rossendale
Across Lancashire council
Places available
14,702
Applications
13,782
Got 1st preference
87.1%
Got preferred school
97.2%
All secondary applications across Lancashire council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(7)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Outstanding, but Ofsted raised concerns; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
116
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Rawtenstall Cribden House Community Special School provides for pupils with speech, language and communication needs, autism and social, emotional and mental health needs.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
116
Total Pupils
84
Boys
32
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
13
Teachers
8.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£55,142
Mean salary
2026 data
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.9%
Overall absence
16.8%
Persistent absence
101
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Linked Schools
Schools linked by geographic proximity
Rawtenstall Cribden House Community Special School
Questions parents ask about Rawtenstall Cribden House Community Special School
What are SATs results like at Rawtenstall Cribden House Community Special School?
Of the pupils at Rawtenstall Cribden House Community Special School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 0% reached the expected standard in reading and 0% did so in maths.
What is Rawtenstall Cribden House Community Special School's Ofsted rating?
Rawtenstall Cribden House Community Special School was rated Outstanding at its most recent Ofsted inspection in May 2024.
What is the catchment area for Rawtenstall Cribden House Community Special School?
No fixed boundary. When Rawtenstall Cribden House Community Special School is oversubscribed, Lancashire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to Rawtenstall Cribden House Community Special School?
Rawtenstall Cribden House Community Special School has around 116 pupils on roll. 42% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Rawtenstall Cribden House Community Special School have specialist SEN provision?
Rawtenstall Cribden House Community Special School provides for pupils with speech, language and communication needs, autism and social, emotional and mental health needs.
What is attendance like at Rawtenstall Cribden House Community Special School?
5.9% of sessions were missed at Rawtenstall Cribden House Community Special School in 2024/25. 16.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Rawtenstall Cribden House Community Special School?
Apply through Lancashire's coordinated admissions process, naming Rawtenstall Cribden House Community Special School on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
How many road collisions happen near Rawtenstall Cribden House Community Special School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 9 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 4 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 1 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 Rawtenstall Cribden House Community Special School?
Rawtenstall Cribden House Community Special School is at Haslingden Road, Rawtenstall, Rossendale, Lancashire, BB4 6RX.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)