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St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Newchurch, Rossendale

Outstanding
Primary
Voluntary aided school
Mixed
Roman Catholic
Ages 4–11

St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Newchurch is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Rossendale. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in October 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 5th-highest of the 13 schools in Rossendale with published results, and 5,071st of 14,452 across England. For 2026 entry it had 1.7 first-choice applications for every place. It was 85% full in 2025.

SATs results
Above England average
Ofsted
Outstanding (2014)
Demand
1.7 first choices per place
Attendance
Better than England average
New inspections, open days and news, by email.

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 Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Newchurch in detail

St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Newchurch in its own words

From the headteacher's welcome: "We are situated in the picturesque Rossendale valley and enjoy scenic views which span far and wide. Our school is founded in the Catholic faith and all our actions reflect our belief that every child is a gift created in the image of our God."

The school runs a breakfast club.

Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)

Source: The school's own website

Results

In 2025, 79% of Year 6 pupils at St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Newchurch reached the expected standard in reading and 84% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 74% in Lancashire and 77% and 75% across England.

Results were similar in 2024 (88% in reading, 77% in maths).

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

Getting a place at St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Newchurch

For September 2026 entry, 31 families put St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Newchurch as their first choice and 75 named it as one of their preferences, for 18 places offered. That is 1.7 first choices for every place. 13 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

Admissions history and your chances at St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Newchurch

Compared with nearby schools

The nearest other state primary schools to St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Newchurch are Rawtenstall Newchurch Church of England Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 35% reading, 35% maths); St Anne's Church of England Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 89% reading, 86% maths); Waterfoot Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 80% reading, 80% maths); and Rawtenstall St Paul's Church of England Primary School (1.3 miles, Good, 64% reading, 51% maths).

St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Newchurch's 2025 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.

Rawtenstall Newchurch Church of England Primary SchoolSt Anne's Church of England Primary SchoolWaterfoot Primary SchoolRawtenstall St Paul's Church of England Primary School

What parents say

70 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Newchurch (as of September 2025): 94% would recommend the school, 97% say their child is happy there and 83% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child does well at the school (99%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (83%).

Who goes there

7.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 3.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (93%) and Mixed (5%).

Getting there

The nearest tram or metro stop is Rawtenstall (East Lancashire Railway), about 1.4 miles away in a straight line.

13 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Peters Road (by), 140 metres away.

The area around the school

In August 2026, police recorded 69 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Lancashire (109).

Suspensions and exclusions

In 2024/25, St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Newchurch issued 1 suspension, 0.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

Secondary schools nearby

The secondary schools closest to St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Newchurch are Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School (0.5 miles), The Valley Leadership Academy (0.7 miles) and Alder Grange School (1.3 miles).

Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar SchoolThe Valley Leadership AcademyAlder Grange School

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

Location

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Helen Sullivan
Pupils:152
LA:Lancashire
Phone:01706229972
Address:St Peter's Road, Newchurch, Rossendale, BB4 9EZ
Status:open

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 2 years ago

This judgement is from November 2014, 11 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.

-

Overall

Outstanding

Quality of Education

Outstanding

Behaviour & Attitudes

Outstanding

Personal Development

Outstanding

Leadership & Management

Outstanding

Early Years

Inspected 15 October 2024View full report
URN:119664
UKPRN:10072654
Diocese:Diocese of Salford
Constituency:Rossendale and Darwen
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted's report, in its own words

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive at this happy school. They benefit from the caring relationships that they enjoy with staff, who look after them extremely well. At the start of each day, staff greet pupils with kind words and a smile. Pupils enjoy the calm and comforting presence of Fable, the school dog.

The school has the highest aspirations for the achievement of all its pupils. It aims, and succeeds, in 'unlocking potential with the keys of love, respect and friendship'. These aspirations start in the early years. Children are immersed in an ambitious and engaging curriculum which is particularly well designed to prepare them for the demands of Year 1. These aspirations continue within and throughout every class to the point when pupils leave the school, ready to face the future.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Governors deploy their expertise to strong effect to offer high levels of challenge and support to the school. They have highly effective processes in place to ensure that they have an accurate and comprehensive view of the quality of the education at the school. They ensure that the school provides a welcoming and inclusive environment for all pupils.

The school has set out a highly ambitious curriculum. The knowledge, skills and key vocabulary that pupils will learn have been clearly set out from the early years, where children make a very strong start. The school has an innovative and highly successful approach to ensuring that all pupils learn well in its mixed-age classes. It has carefully designed the curriculum to ensure that pupils in the different year groups make strong progress across the range of subjects. The curriculum prepares pupils exceptionally well for each stage of their education.

From Ofsted's October 2024 ungraded 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 November 2014 inspection - up from Good.

Rated Outstanding for

Leadership & management.

At a Glance

7.9%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

What Parents Think

70 responses
Would recommend94%
Child is happy97%
Child does well99%
High expectations94%
Feels safe96%
Well behaved94%
Bullying dealt with (of parents with a view)83%
Kept informed97%
Handles concerns (of parents who raised one)86%
Wider development93%

Source: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2024/25

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading-9ppMaths+7ppWriting-7pp

Reading has declined from 88% to 79% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 77% to 84% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 81% to 74% (2024 to 2025).

Class Sizes

30.5

Avg class size

4

Total classes

2 classes with more than 30 pupils

2025/26 academic year

How Does This School Compare?

Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools

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Latest from St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Newchurch

From St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Newchurch's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.

Keep up with St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Newchurch

Term dates

St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Newchurch 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

St Peters Road (by)
135m · 2 min walk
Bolton Street (by)
224m · 4 min walk
Heightside (by)
237m · 4 min walk
The Boars Head (o/s)
280m · 5 min walk
Windsor Avenue (by)
283m · 5 min walk

Free school transport

Check free transport to St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Newchurch from your postcode →

You apply to the council where you live. St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Newchurch is in Lancashire; for families living there:

Safety and surroundings

Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)

Collisions
5
Fatal
0
Serious
1
Children hurt
0

Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 4 slight.

No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.

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.

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Commute and house prices

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Your chances of a place at St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Newchurch

Will you get a place at St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Newchurch? Get the admissions report

Your home postcode, set against St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Newchurch's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.

What the report includes for St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Newchurch:

  • The straight-line distance from your home to St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Newchurch.
  • We hold no last distance offered figures from Lancashire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
  • Applications, first choices and offers at St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Newchurch 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

85%

Available places

149 pupils

175 places

26 spare places in 2025

2025, DfE school capacity data

Area Demand Pressure - Rossendale

Low pressure
New homes approved:834
Projected new pupils:209

Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Rossendale

Across Lancashire council

Low demand council-wide0.79 applications per place

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: 1.7 first choices per place

Inspection History(6)

15 October 2024
Quality of EducationOutstanding
Behaviour & AttitudesOutstanding
Personal DevelopmentOutstanding
Leadership & ManagementOutstanding
Early YearsOutstanding
19 November 2014
OutstandingReport
Leadership & ManagementOutstanding
15 January 2013

SEND & SEN Provision

SEN Overview

26

SEN Support

8

EHC Plans

22.4%

of Total Pupils

2026 academic year

Provision & Specialist Facilities

No specialist provision recorded

Pupils by Need Type

Moderate Learning Difficulty10
Speech, Language & Communication10
Social, Emotional & Mental Health7
Autistic Spectrum Disorder3
Hearing Impairment2
Specific Learning Difficulty1
Physical Disability1
EHC Plan
SEN Support

Pupil Demographics

Ethnicity

White British
93.4%
Mixed
5.3%
Other
0.7%

2026 academic year

Key Indicators

Free School Meals7.9%
English as Additional Language3.3%

152

Total Pupils

75

Boys

77

Girls

2026 academic year

Workforce

7

Teachers

21.7:1

Pupil-teacher ratio

£55,709

Mean salary

2026 data

School Funding

£5,452

Per pupil

£894k

Total funding

£24k

Pupil premium

Deprivation£44,750
EAL funding£2,145
Lump sum£145,100

2025-26 financial year allocations

Pupil Absence
2024/25

3.3%

Overall absence

6.2%

Persistent absence

129

Enrolments

Authorised2.5%
Unauthorised0.7%
Persistent (10%+)6.2%
Severe (50%+)0.8%

Absence trend

2.0%
18/19
2.0%
20/21
4.1%
21/22
3.5%
22/23
3.3%
23/24
3.3%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

Secondary Schools Nearby

Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to

Questions parents ask about St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Newchurch

What are SATs results like at St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Newchurch?

Of the pupils at St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Newchurch who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 79% reached the expected standard in reading and 84% did so in maths.

What is St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Newchurch's Ofsted rating?

St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Newchurch's most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in November 2014, it was rated Outstanding.

What is the catchment area for St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Newchurch?

No fixed boundary. When St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Newchurch 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 Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Newchurch?

St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Newchurch was not full in 2025: it ran at 85% of its 175 places.

How big are the classes at St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Newchurch?

Classes at St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Newchurch average 30.5 pupils (2025/26). 2 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.

How many pupils go to St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Newchurch?

St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Newchurch has around 152 pupils on roll. 8% are eligible for free school meals.

What is attendance like at St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Newchurch?

3.3% of sessions were missed at St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Newchurch in 2024/25. 6.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).

How do I apply to St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Newchurch?

Apply through Lancashire's coordinated admissions process, naming St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Newchurch 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 Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Newchurch?

Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 4 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 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 St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Newchurch?

St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Newchurch is at St Peter's Road, Newchurch, Rossendale, Lancashire, BB4 9EZ.

Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)

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