Sharneyford Primary School, Bacup

Ofsted's report card from its 1 July 2026 inspection grades Sharneyford Primary School on 7 areas: 7 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Achievement - Expected standard. "Typically, the school prepares pupils well for their next stage of education."

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Pupils' attendance in recent years has been below national figures."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum which clearly identifies the important knowledge and vocabulary that pupils need to learn."

Early years - Expected standard. "Children in the early years get off to a positive start."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Leaders are committed to ensuring all pupils are included in every aspect of school life."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders, including governors, have a clear vision for all pupils to achieve well and to thrive."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Leaders ensure that the school's curriculum for personal, social and health education is ambitious and carefully planned."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should strengthen the precision of checks on learning and the impact of feedback so that misconceptions in pupils' foundational knowledge are identified and addressed promptly, enabling all pupils to achieve as well as they could, particularly in letter formation, handwriting and spelling"; "Leaders should ensure that staff consistently design activities which build on prior knowledge and provide purposeful opportunities for pupils to rehearse and apply key concepts. This will help pupils to deepen their knowledge and understanding over time"; "Leaders should further enhance the personal development programme to enable pupils to access a range of experiences which develop their cultural lives and deepen their knowledge of, and appreciation of, the arts".

Clubs and activities named on the school's website include gardening and forest school.

The school runs after-school care.

In 2025, 60% of Year 6 pupils at Sharneyford Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 50% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 74% in Lancashire and 77% and 75% across England.

Results fell from 89% in reading and 78% in maths in 2024.

With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.

For September 2026 entry, 12 families put Sharneyford Primary School as their first choice and 27 named it as one of their preferences, for 10 places offered. That is 1.2 first choices for every place. 2 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state primary schools to Sharneyford Primary School are Northern Primary School (0.8 miles, Good, 65% reading, 65% maths); Bacup Thorn Primary School (0.9 miles, Good, 76% reading, 85% maths); St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy (0.9 miles, Inadequate, 48% reading, 30% maths); and Britannia Community Primary School (1.5 miles, Good, 76% reading, 83% maths).

Sharneyford Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.

22 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Sharneyford Primary School (as of September 2026): 100% would recommend the school, 96% say their child is happy there and 100% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (100%); the weakest, that their child is happy at the school (96%).

15.9% 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.

There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Sharneyford Primary School.

5 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Primary School (opposite), 30 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 41 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and public order offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Lancashire (109).

Sharneyford Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.