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Schools near Burnley

56 open schools in Burnley, Lancashire · Ofsted ratings, catchment areas and admission criteria · see all Lancashire schools · grammar schools in Burnley

Burnley has 56 state schools: 35 primary, 8 secondary, part of Lancashire's wider catchment. 56 have a published Ofsted rating, and 42 of those are rated Good or Outstanding.

Barden Primary School Burnley · Good Basnett Street Nursery School Burnley · Not judged Blessed Trinity Roman Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy Burnley · Requires improvement Briercliffe Primary School Burnley · Requires improvement Broadfield Specialist School Burnley · Outstanding Burnley Brunshaw Primary School Burnley · Good Burnley College Burnley · Requires improvement Burnley High School Burnley · Good Burnley Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School Burnley · Good Burnley Ightenhill Primary School Burnley · Good Burnley Lowerhouse Junior School Burnley · Requires improvement Burnley Springfield Community Primary School Burnley · Not judged Burnley St Peter's Church of England Primary School Burnley · Good Burnley St Stephen's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Burnley · Good Burnley Stoneyholme Community Primary School Burnley · Not judged Casterton Primary Academy Burnley · Good Cherry Fold Community Primary School Burnley · Not judged Christ The King Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Burnley · Good Hapton Church of England/Methodist Primary School Burnley · Good Heasandford Primary School Burnley · Good Higham St John's Church of England Primary School Burnley · Good Holly Grove School Burnley · Outstanding Ightenhill Nursery School Burnley · Outstanding Lincoln House School Burnley · Good Newchurch-In-Pendle St Mary's Church of England Primary School Burnley · Good Olive High Boys Burnley · Outstanding Padiham Primary School Burnley · Good Rawdhatul Uloom Burnley · Good Read St John's CofE Primary School Burnley · Good Reedley Hallows Nursery School Burnley · Good Reedley Primary School Burnley · Good Ridgewood Community High School Burnley · Good Rockwood Nursery School Burnley · Not judged Rosa House School Burnley · Good Rosegrove Infant School Burnley · Good Rosegrove Nursery School Burnley · Outstanding Rosewood Primary School Burnley · Good Shuttleworth College Burnley · Not judged Simonstone St Peter's Church of England Primary School Burnley · Good Sir John Thursby Community College Burnley · Good St Augustine of Canterbury RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy Burnley · Good St James' Lanehead Church of England Primary School Burnley · Good St John the Baptist RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Burnley · Good St John the Baptist Roman Catholic Primary School, Padiham Burnley · Good St John's CofE Primary School, Cliviger Burnley · Good St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Burnley · Good St Mary's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Burnley · Requires improvement Stoneyholme Nursery School BURNLEY · Outstanding Taywood Nursery School Burnley · Good The Rose School Burnley · Not judged Unity College Burnley · Requires improvement Wellfield Methodist and Anglican Church School Burnley · Good Wheatley Lane Methodist Primary School Burnley · Good Whitegate Nursery School Burnley · Not judged Whittlefield Primary School Burnley · Good Worsthorne Primary School Burnley · Good

Undersubscribed schools rated Good or Outstanding

These schools didn't fill on first preference in the latest admissions year, despite an Ofsted rating of Good or Outstanding — worth a look if you're chasing the same handful of famous names everyone else applies to.

Burnley St Peter's Church of England Primary School Good · ×0.69 1st prefs/place (2026/27) Reedley Primary School Good · ×0.72 1st prefs/place (2026/27) Whittlefield Primary School Good · ×0.75 1st prefs/place (2026/27) Wheatley Lane Methodist Primary School Good · ×0.76 1st prefs/place (2026/27) St John the Baptist RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Good · ×0.79 1st prefs/place (2026/27) Burnley Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School Good · ×0.82 1st prefs/place (2026/27) Burnley Ightenhill Primary School Good · ×0.83 1st prefs/place (2026/27) Heasandford Primary School Good · ×0.86 1st prefs/place (2026/27) Casterton Primary Academy Good · ×0.87 1st prefs/place (2026/27) Higham St John's Church of England Primary School Good · ×0.88 1st prefs/place (2026/27)

How places are allocated in Lancashire

Primary schools: Lancashire's own term is 'Geographical Priority Area' (GPA) — a criterion for community/VC schools; academies/VA/foundation schools set their own arrangements. (source)

Most schools use the local authority's default scheme rather than a school-specific catchment map — see each school's page for its own designated/catchment area where one is published.

Lancashire entrance test format

There is no shared Lancashire 11+ — each school sets its own exam, and formats/providers differ and have changed recently, so always check the school's own admissions page for the current year. As of the 2026 test round: - Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School — GL Assessment-style multiple-choice papers (maths, English, verbal reasoning). - Clitheroe Royal Grammar School — moved to FSCE (Future Stories Community Enterprise) papers: Paper 1 English & maths multiple-choice, Paper 2 English & maths short written answers. - Lancaster Girls' Grammar School — FSCE papers. - Lancaster Royal Grammar School — GL Assessment-style papers (maths, English, verbal reasoning). Because providers differ, practice material for one Lancashire school may not match another's format — and a child applying to schools in both Clitheroe/Lancaster and the Bacup area may face two different exam styles.

Key dates

Entry yearEventDate
Sept 2028 Application deadline 2027-10-31
Sept 2028 Primary application deadline 2028-01-15
Sept 2028 Offer day 2028-03-01
Sept 2028 Primary offer day 2028-04-17
Sept 2027 Test date 2026-09-26
Sept 2027 Results released 2026-10-06
Sept 2027 Application deadline 2026-10-31
Sept 2027 Primary application deadline 2027-01-15
Sept 2027 Offer day 2027-03-01
Sept 2027 Primary offer day 2027-04-16
Sept 2026 Application deadline 2025-10-31 (passed)
Sept 2026 Primary application deadline 2026-01-15 (passed)
Sept 2026 Offer day 2026-03-02 (passed)
Sept 2026 Primary offer day 2026-04-16 (passed)

Out-of-area applications

Lancashire has NO county-wide 11+ — each of its four grammar schools (Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School, Clitheroe Royal Grammar School, Lancaster Girls' Grammar School, Lancaster Royal Grammar School) runs its own entrance exam with its own registration process and deadline, direct with the school. Applying to more than one can mean sitting more than one test. All four schools accept registrations from children living outside Lancashire — the schools draw from wide areas (Greater Manchester, Yorkshire, Cumbria). Lancaster Royal Grammar School also has boarding places, which widens its intake further. Register with each school directly (deadlines vary by school — check each school's admissions page in Year 5), then apply via your home LA's Common Application Form by 31 October. Check each school's oversubscription criteria for distance/priority-area effects.

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