St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster, Lancaster
St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Lancaster. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2024. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 3rd-highest of the 24 schools in Lancaster with published results, and 474th 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
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2024)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Better than England average
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
St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster in detail
St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster in its own words
In its own words: "All pupils are taught the value of democracy (eg The Parliament Education Service visits and Parliament Resource Pack) and the right for everyone to have their say in the decision making process."
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care.
The school day runs from 8:45am to 3:30pm, 33.75 hours a week.
Vision and values (school website)Wraparound care (school website)The school day (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 93% of Year 6 pupils at St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster reached the expected standard in reading and 97% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 74% in Lancashire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 83% in reading and 83% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster
For September 2026 entry, 38 families put St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster as their first choice and 87 named it as one of their preferences, for 30 places offered. That is 1.3 first choices for every place. 8 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster are Moorside Primary School (under 0.1 miles, Good, 85% reading, 77% maths); Scotforth St Paul's Church of England Primary and Nursery School (0.4 miles, Good, 89% reading, 78% maths); Bowerham Primary & Nursery School (0.6 miles, Good, 83% reading, 67% maths); and The Cathedral Catholic Primary School, Lancaster (1 mile, Good, 93% reading, 90% maths).
St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster's 2025 results were higher than all 4 of them.
Moorside Primary SchoolScotforth St Paul's Church of England Primary and Nursery SchoolBowerham Primary & Nursery SchoolThe Cathedral Catholic Primary School, Lancaster
Who goes there
9.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 34 pupils (16.4%) received SEN support and 5 (2.4%) 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.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Lancaster Rail Station, about 1.4 miles away in a straight line.
13 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Moorside School (by), 60 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster are Ripley St Thomas Church of England Academy (0.8 miles), Lancaster Royal Grammar School (1 mile), Lancaster Girls' Grammar School (1.1 miles) and Lancaster High School (1.5 miles).
Ripley St Thomas Church of England AcademyLancaster Royal Grammar SchoolLancaster Girls' Grammar SchoolLancaster 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
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
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
9.7%
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 83% to 93% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 83% to 97% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 87% to 83% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
29.6
Avg class size
29.7
Infant (KS1)
29.5
KS2
7
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster
Lancaster Schools Football Tournament
21 Oct 2026
Y5/6 Cricket Team
14 Jul 2026
KS1 Sports Day
10 Jul 2026
Salt Ayre - Sycamore Class
24 Jun 2026
Lancaster Schools Girl Football Tournament held at Moorside
23 Jun 2026
Wolfwood - Eucalyptus Class
22 Jun 2026
From St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster.
- Stagecoach Lancaster850m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster 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
Check free transport to St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster 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
- 6
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 4 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 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 St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster
Will you get a place at St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Lancashire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster 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
99%
Near capacity
207 pupils
209 places
2 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Lancaster
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Lancaster
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
Inspection History(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
34
SEN Support
5
EHC Plans
18.8%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
207
Total Pupils
111
Boys
96
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
9
Teachers
23.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£55,520
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,158
Per pupil
£1157k
Total funding
£33k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.7%
Overall absence
3.8%
Persistent absence
185
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
St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster
Questions parents ask about St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster
What are SATs results like at St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster?
Of the pupils at St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 93% reached the expected standard in reading and 97% did so in maths.
What is St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster's Ofsted rating?
St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster was rated Outstanding at its most recent Ofsted inspection in May 2024.
What is the catchment area for St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster?
No fixed boundary. When St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster is oversubscribed, Lancashire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster?
St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster was close to full in 2025, at 99% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster?
Classes at St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster average 29.6 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster?
St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster has around 207 pupils on roll. 10% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster?
3.7% of sessions were missed at St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster in 2024/25. 3.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster?
Apply through Lancashire's coordinated admissions process, naming St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster 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 St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster: Stagecoach Lancaster (850m 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 St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 4 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 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 St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster?
St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster is at Bowerham Road, Lancaster, Lancashire, LA1 4HT.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)