Withnell Fold Primary School, Chorley
Withnell Fold Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Chorley. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in January 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 40th-highest of the 40 schools in Chorley with published results, and 13,680th of 14,452 across England. It was full in 2025, at 102% of capacity.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2015)
- 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
Withnell Fold Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 58% of Year 6 pupils at Withnell Fold Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 50% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 74% in Lancashire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 82% in reading and 82% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Withnell Fold Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 4 families put Withnell Fold Primary School as their first choice and 28 named it as one of their preferences, for 5 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 Withnell Fold Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Withnell Fold Primary School are Brindle St James' Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School (1 mile, Good, 92% reading, 100% maths); Brinscall St John's CofE and Methodist Primary School (1.1 miles, Good, 89% reading, 82% maths); St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Withnell (1.4 miles, Outstanding, 86% reading, 93% maths); and St Chad's Catholic Primary School (1.7 miles, Good, 76% reading, 71% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Withnell Fold Primary School.
Brindle St James' Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolBrinscall St John's CofE and Methodist Primary SchoolSt Joseph's Catholic Primary School, WithnellSt Chad's Catholic Primary School
What parents say
33 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Withnell Fold Primary School (as of September 2025): 82% would recommend the school, 94% say their child is happy there and 67% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (97%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (67%).
Who goes there
2.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 1.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 17 pupils (20.5%) received SEN support and 1 (1.2%) 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 Pleasington Rail Station, about 2.7 miles away in a straight line.
1 bus stop is within a five-minute walk; the closest is Square (by), 90 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 2 crimes within a mile of the school, most often vehicle crime and violence and sexual offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Lancashire (109).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Withnell Fold Primary School issued 1 suspension, 1.2 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; 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
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 agoThis judgement is from January 2015, 11 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's January 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Withnell Fold is a caring and welcoming school where children thrive both academically and personally. The school offers excellent learning experiences including educational visits to museums, observatories and temples, plus a strong focus on reading and literacy. With exemplary behaviour, supportive staff and ambitious teaching, your child will develop into a confident, independent learner.
Key Strengths
- Exemplary behaviour throughout the school with pupils being polite, respectful and articulate
- Strong reading programme using well-structured phonics from Reception onwards
- Excellent personal development provision, including cultural awareness and outdoor learning experiences
- Effective support for pupils with SEND, enabling them to learn successfully alongside classmates
- High staff morale with leaders prioritising staff well-being
Areas for Improvement
- In a few subjects, key knowledge and skills are not yet clearly defined, limiting how well pupils learn
- Writing errors are not always identified and corrected quickly, causing pupils to repeat mistakes
- Need to reinforce basic skills in writing across all curriculum areas to improve accuracy and fluency
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with pupils feeling safe and confident that trusted adults will listen and resolve problems.
Extracurricular Activities
Yoga, sign language, fitness clubs, guitar lessons, flute lessons, clarinet lessons, choir, school productions (nativity and summer), residential visits, outdoor and adventurous activities, school parliament, librarians, hotpot helpers
Withnell Fold Primary School is a nurturing village primary school where pupils are proud to attend and feel safe and happy. The school has maintained good standards since its previous inspection, with pupils achieving well across much of the curriculum.
At a Glance
2.4%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
33 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 declined from 82% to 58% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 82% to 50% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 36% to 50% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
20.8
Avg class size
16.0
Infant (KS1)
25.5
KS2
4
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Withnell Fold Primary School
Term dates
Withnell Fold 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 Withnell Fold Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Withnell Fold 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
- 1
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 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 Withnell Fold Primary School
Will you get a place at Withnell Fold Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Withnell Fold Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Withnell Fold Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Withnell Fold 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 Withnell Fold 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
102%
Over capacity
88 pupils
86 places
2 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Chorley
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Chorley
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(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
17
SEN Support
1
EHC Plans
21.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
83
Total Pupils
41
Boys
42
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
5
Teachers
16.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,919
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,381
Per pupil
£597k
Total funding
£8k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.4%
Overall absence
4.1%
Persistent absence
73
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Withnell Fold Primary School
What are SATs results like at Withnell Fold Primary School?
Of the pupils at Withnell Fold Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 58% reached the expected standard in reading and 50% did so in maths.
What is Withnell Fold Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Withnell Fold Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in January 2015, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Withnell Fold Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Withnell Fold 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 Withnell Fold Primary School?
Withnell Fold Primary School was full in 2025, at 102% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Withnell Fold Primary School?
Classes at Withnell Fold Primary School average 20.8 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Withnell Fold Primary School?
Withnell Fold Primary School has around 83 pupils on roll. 2% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Withnell Fold Primary School?
3.4% of sessions were missed at Withnell Fold Primary School in 2024/25. 4.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Withnell Fold Primary School?
Apply through Lancashire's coordinated admissions process, naming Withnell Fold 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 Withnell Fold Primary School's term dates?
Withnell Fold 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 Withnell Fold Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 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 Withnell Fold Primary School?
Withnell Fold Primary School is at Withnell Fold, Withnell, Chorley, Lancashire, PR6 8BA.
Sources: Lancashire term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)