Tonacliffe Primary School, Whitworth
Tonacliffe Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Whitworth. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in July 2024. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 201st-highest of the 447 schools in Lancashire with published results, and 6,591st of 14,452 across England. It was 86% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2024)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
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
Tonacliffe Primary School in detail
Tonacliffe Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "We are a busy but friendly school, with lots going on. Please feel free to contact the school direct with any queries you may have.."
The school runs after-school care until 5:30pm.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 80% of Year 6 pupils at Tonacliffe Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 77% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 74% in Lancashire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 62% in reading and 57% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Tonacliffe Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 27 families put Tonacliffe Primary School as their first choice and 71 named it as one of their preferences, for 28 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Tonacliffe Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Tonacliffe Primary School are St Bartholomew's Church of England Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 82% reading, 75% maths); Shawclough Community Primary School (1.1 miles, Good, 73% reading, 67% maths); Our Lady and St Anselm's Roman Catholic Primary School, Whitworth (1.1 miles, Good, 83% reading, 93% maths); and Healey Foundation Primary School (1.2 miles, Good, 77% reading, 97% maths).
Tonacliffe Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
St Bartholomew's Church of England Primary SchoolShawclough Community Primary SchoolOur Lady and St Anselm's Roman Catholic Primary School, WhitworthHealey Foundation Primary School
Who goes there
14.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 1.7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Rochdale Interchange (Manchester Metrolink), about 2.4 miles away in a straight line.
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Tonacliffe School (opposite), 160 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 31 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).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Tonacliffe Primary School issued 2 suspensions, 0.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
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
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
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 at this school benefit from the support of caring staff, who know them well. They are happy during lessons and when playing with their friends in the playground. If pupils have worries, they can use the 'ask it basket' to speak to adults in the school.
The school has high expectations of what pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), can achieve. Most pupils respond with positivity to the work that teachers prepare for them. In the main, they achieve well.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school has designed a broad and ambitious curriculum. It has identified the knowledge that pupils should learn from the beginning of the early years to Year 6. The school has carefully considered the order that this knowledge should be taught, to support the learning of pupils in mixed-age classes. Staff quickly identify pupils who may have additional needs. They ensure that these pupils have the support that they need to progress well through the curriculum.
From joining the school in the early years, children are immersed in stories. They enjoy visits to the local library, which help them to develop a love of books and reading. Throughout school, pupils are keen to earn 'millionaires' certificates for reading regularly. They enjoy participating in reading challenges.
From Ofsted's July 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 Good at its July 2024 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
14.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 62% to 80% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 57% to 77% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 64% to 68% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
25.1
Avg class size
26.7
Infant (KS1)
28.4
KS2
10
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
1 unlawfully large infant class
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Tonacliffe Primary School
Newsletter no. 4, Monday 28th September 2026
28 Sep 2026
Newsletter no. 3, Monday 21st September 2026
21 Sep 2026
Newsletter no. 2, Monday 14th September 2026
14 Sep 2026
From Tonacliffe Primary School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Tonacliffe Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Tonacliffe Primary School.
- FUNDA Sports, Physical Activity Holiday Camps & ChildcareAt the school · Not yet graded
Term dates
Tonacliffe Primary School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Lancashire. Training (INSET) days, when pupils are not in school, vary by school: check the school's own calendar.
2026 to 2027
- Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026)
- Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027)
- Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027)
2027 to 2028
- Autumn term: Wednesday 1 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027)
- Spring term: Tuesday 4 January to Friday 31 March 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028)
- Summer term: Tuesday 18 April to Friday 21 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028)
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Tonacliffe Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Tonacliffe Primary 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
- 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.
3 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 Tonacliffe Primary School
Will you get a place at Tonacliffe Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Tonacliffe Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Tonacliffe Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Tonacliffe Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Lancashire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Tonacliffe Primary School 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
86%
Available places
271 pupils
315 places
44 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Whitworth
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Whitworth
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: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(5)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
46
SEN Support
11
EHC Plans
19.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
294
Total Pupils
146
Boys
148
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
16
Teachers
18.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£45,902
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,242
Per pupil
£1573k
Total funding
£62k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.2%
Overall absence
6.4%
Persistent absence
250
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
Tonacliffe Primary School
Questions parents ask about Tonacliffe Primary School
What are SATs results like at Tonacliffe Primary School?
Of the pupils at Tonacliffe Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 80% reached the expected standard in reading and 77% did so in maths.
What is Tonacliffe Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Tonacliffe Primary School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in July 2024. At its previous graded inspection in 2013 it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Tonacliffe Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Tonacliffe Primary School is oversubscribed, Lancashire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Tonacliffe Primary School?
Tonacliffe Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 86% of its 315 places.
How big are the classes at Tonacliffe Primary School?
Classes at Tonacliffe Primary School average 25.1 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Tonacliffe Primary School?
Tonacliffe Primary School has around 294 pupils on roll. 14% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Tonacliffe Primary School?
4.2% of sessions were missed at Tonacliffe Primary School in 2024/25. 6.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Tonacliffe Primary School?
Apply through Lancashire's coordinated admissions process, naming Tonacliffe Primary School 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 Tonacliffe Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: FUNDA Sports, Physical Activity Holiday Camps & Childcare (registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
What are Tonacliffe Primary School's term dates?
Tonacliffe Primary School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Lancashire. In 2026 to 2027: Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026); Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027); Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027). In 2027 to 2028: Autumn term: Wednesday 1 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027); Spring term: Tuesday 4 January to Friday 31 March 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028); Summer term: Tuesday 18 April to Friday 21 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028).
How many road collisions happen near Tonacliffe Primary School?
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. 3 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 Tonacliffe Primary School?
Tonacliffe Primary School is at Tonacliffe Road, Whitworth, Whitworth, Lancashire, OL12 8SS.
Sources: Lancashire term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)