St Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington, Accrington
St Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Accrington. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in March 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 4th-highest of the 25 schools in Accrington with published results, and 5,071st of 14,452 across England. For 2026 entry it had 1.5 first-choice applications for every place. It was 84% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2014)
- Demand
- 1.5 first choices per place
- Attendance
- In line with England
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
St Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington in detail
St Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "We promise you a warm welcome at St. Oswald's R.C. Primary and Nursery School. We are a Roman Catholic Primary School with our children at the heart of all we do and our philosophy rooted in the teachings of Jesus."
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care, from £1 per session.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 84% of Year 6 pupils at St Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington reached the expected standard in reading and 79% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 74% in Lancashire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 79% in reading and 68% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at St Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington
For September 2026 entry, 29 families put St Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington as their first choice and 70 named it as one of their preferences, for 19 places offered. That is 1.5 first choices for every place. 10 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at St Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington are St Peter's CofE Primary School (under 0.1 miles, Good, 61% reading, 72% maths); Green Haworth Church of England Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 42% reading, 25% maths); Accrington Spring Hill Community Primary School (0.6 miles, Requires improvement, 40% reading, 50% maths); and St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, Oswaldtwistle (0.7 miles, Good, 94% reading, 86% maths).
St Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington's 2025 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.
St Peter's CofE Primary SchoolGreen Haworth Church of England Primary SchoolAccrington Spring Hill Community Primary SchoolSt Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, Oswaldtwistle
What parents say
39 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington (as of September 2025): 97% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 89% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (100%); the weakest, that the school supports their child's wider development (77%).
Who goes there
43.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Accrington Rail Station, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Oswalds RCPS (by), 30 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington 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 313 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and other theft. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Lancashire (109), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington issued 4 suspensions, 2.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington are Mount Carmel Roman Catholic High School, Hyndburn (0.4 miles); Rhyddings (0.8 miles); and The Hollins (0.8 miles).
Mount Carmel Roman Catholic High School, HyndburnRhyddingsThe Hollins
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; 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 agoThis judgement is from September 2014, 12 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's March 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This school provides an exceptionally warm, welcoming environment where children thrive. Behaviour is outstanding and pupils are deeply engaged in their learning. The school excels at helping pupils develop into thoughtful, well-rounded individuals who understand and respect the diverse world around them.
Key Strengths
- Pupils' behaviour and attitudes are outstanding - they are polite, considerate and focus exceptionally well on learning
- Strong focus on reading with an effective phonics programme that helps most pupils become accomplished readers
- Excellent personal development programme that helps pupils understand and appreciate diversity and British values
- Caring staff who know pupils well and provide effective support, particularly for those with special educational needs
- Pupils actively contribute to school and community through roles like playground leaders and environmental activities
Areas for Improvement
- In mathematics and some other subjects, the school has not made it clear enough what knowledge should be taught and in what order, making it harder for teachers to plan effectively
- Teachers do not consistently check pupils' understanding before moving to new learning, meaning some pupils develop gaps in knowledge
- Some early readers lack fluency and accuracy, and some young children have not learned to form letters correctly
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with appropriate systems and an open culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Playground leader roles, tree planting, outdoor exploration activities, recycling initiatives, breakfast club
St Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary School is a welcoming community where pupils enjoy school and behaviour is outstanding. The school has an ambitious curriculum but needs to improve clarity about what should be taught and consistency in identifying when pupils need extra support.
At a Glance
43.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
39 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 79% to 84% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 68% to 79% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 74% to 79% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
20.5
Avg class size
27.0
Infant (KS1)
24.3
KS2
6
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with St Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington
Term dates
St Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington 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 Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington 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
- 3
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 2 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on a bicycle.
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 Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington
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What the report includes for St Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington:
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- Applications, first choices and offers at St Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington 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
84%
Available places
132 pupils
157 places
25 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Accrington
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Accrington
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: 1.5 first choices per place
Inspection History(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
32
SEN Support
5
EHC Plans
24.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
151
Total Pupils
75
Boys
76
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
8
Teachers
18.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£54,654
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,762
Per pupil
£1040k
Total funding
£89k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.2%
Overall absence
7.7%
Persistent absence
117
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 Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington
Questions parents ask about St Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington
What are SATs results like at St Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington?
Of the pupils at St Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 84% reached the expected standard in reading and 79% did so in maths.
What is St Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington's Ofsted rating?
St Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington's most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in September 2014, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for St Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington?
No fixed boundary. When St Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington 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 Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington?
St Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington was not full in 2025: it ran at 84% of its 157 places.
How big are the classes at St Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington?
Classes at St Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington average 20.5 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington?
St Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington has around 151 pupils on roll. 44% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington?
4.2% of sessions were missed at St Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington in 2024/25. 7.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington?
Apply through Lancashire's coordinated admissions process, naming St Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington 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.
How many road collisions happen near St Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 2 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on a bicycle. 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 Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington?
St Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington is at Hartley Avenue, Accrington, Lancashire, BB5 0NN.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)