Waterfoot Primary School, Rossendale
Waterfoot Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 5 to 11 in Rossendale. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in July 2012. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in December 2022 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 6th-highest of the 13 schools in Rossendale with published results, and 5,775th of 14,452 across England. It was 95% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2012)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
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
Waterfoot Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 80% of Year 6 pupils at Waterfoot Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 80% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 74% in Lancashire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 60% in reading and 64% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Waterfoot Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 27 families put Waterfoot Primary School as their first choice and 68 named it as one of their preferences, for 33 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 Waterfoot Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Waterfoot Primary School are Rawtenstall Newchurch Church of England Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 35% reading, 35% maths); St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Newchurch (0.6 miles, Outstanding, 79% reading, 84% maths); St Anne's Church of England Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 89% reading, 86% maths); and Bacup Holy Trinity Stacksteads Church of England Primary School (0.9 miles, Good, 60% reading, 60% maths).
Waterfoot Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.
Rawtenstall Newchurch Church of England Primary SchoolSt Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, NewchurchSt Anne's Church of England Primary SchoolBacup Holy Trinity Stacksteads Church of England Primary School
Who goes there
8.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 26 pupils (8.8%) received SEN support and 16 (5.4%) 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 tram or metro stop is Rawtenstall (East Lancashire Railway), about 1.9 miles away in a straight line.
11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Park Road (opposite), 150 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 57 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Lancashire (109).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Waterfoot Primary School issued 1 suspension, 0.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Waterfoot Primary School are Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School (0.1 miles) and The Valley Leadership Academy (0.3 miles).
Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar SchoolThe Valley Leadership Academy
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 · 4 years agoThis judgement is from July 2012, 14 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its July 2012 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
24.0%
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 60% to 80% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 64% to 80% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 76% to 84% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
28.4
Avg class size
25.7
Infant (KS1)
29.8
KS2
9
Total classes
2 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Waterfoot Primary School
Term dates
Waterfoot 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 Waterfoot Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Waterfoot 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
- 8
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 4 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
2 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 Waterfoot Primary School
Will you get a place at Waterfoot Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Waterfoot Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Waterfoot Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Waterfoot 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 Waterfoot 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
95%
Near capacity
298 pupils
315 places
17 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Rossendale
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Rossendale
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(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
26
SEN Support
16
EHC Plans
14.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
296
Total Pupils
143
Boys
153
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
16
Teachers
18.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,982
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,435
Per pupil
£1832k
Total funding
£88k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.0%
Overall absence
13.3%
Persistent absence
263
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
Waterfoot Primary School
Questions parents ask about Waterfoot Primary School
What are SATs results like at Waterfoot Primary School?
Of the pupils at Waterfoot Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 80% reached the expected standard in reading and 80% did so in maths.
What is Waterfoot Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Waterfoot Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in December 2022, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in July 2012, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Waterfoot Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Waterfoot 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 Waterfoot Primary School?
Waterfoot Primary School was close to full in 2025, at 95% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Waterfoot Primary School?
Classes at Waterfoot Primary School average 28.4 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 Waterfoot Primary School?
Waterfoot Primary School has around 296 pupils on roll. 24% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Waterfoot Primary School?
5% of sessions were missed at Waterfoot Primary School in 2024/25. 13.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Waterfoot Primary School?
Apply through Lancashire's coordinated admissions process, naming Waterfoot 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.
What are Waterfoot Primary School's term dates?
Waterfoot 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 Waterfoot Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 4 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 2 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 Waterfoot Primary School?
Waterfoot Primary School is at Wolfenden Green, Waterfoot, Rossendale, Lancashire, BB4 9DA.
Sources: Lancashire term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)