Best primary schools in Burnley (2026)

Burnley has 22 ranked primary schools with published results. The top-ranked is Wellfield Methodist and Anglican Church School, in the top 20% in England. The average reading, writing & maths here in 2025 was 55%, against 62% for England. 0 are in England's top 10%, and 0 are rated Outstanding by Ofsted.

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Rank	School	Reading, writing & maths (2023–2025 average)	Reading, writing & maths 2025	Higher standard	Ofsted
1 Top 20% in England	Wellfield Methodist and Anglican Church School Burnley · Church of England/Methodist	74%	70%	10%	Good
2 Top 23% in England	Burnley Stoneyholme Community Primary School Burnley	71%	79%	7%	Not judged
3 Top 30% in England	Casterton Primary Academy Burnley	69%	72%	12%	Good
4 Top 41% in England	St John the Baptist RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Burnley · Roman Catholic	66%	59%	7%	No rating
5 Top 41% in England	Christ The King Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Burnley · Roman Catholic	65%	67%	10%	No rating
6 Bottom 42% in England	Briercliffe Primary School Burnley	62%	69%	0%	Report card
7 Bottom 29% in England	St James' Lanehead Church of England Primary School Burnley · Church of England	58%	50%	0%	Report card
8 Bottom 27% in England	Burnley Ightenhill Primary School Burnley	54%	46%	7%	No rating
9 Bottom 27% in England	St Augustine of Canterbury RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy Burnley · Roman Catholic	55%	53%	7%	No rating
10 Bottom 26% in England	Heasandford Primary School Burnley	53%	60%	4%	Good
11 Bottom 24% in England	Barden Primary School Burnley	53%	60%	6%	Good
12 Bottom 23% in England	St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Burnley · Roman Catholic	51%	69%	14%	Good
13 Bottom 22% in England	Burnley Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School Burnley · Church of England	52%	45%	14%	No rating
14 Bottom 20% in England	Burnley St Peter's Church of England Primary School Burnley · Church of England	51%	53%	3%	Good
15 Bottom 14% in England	Rosewood Primary School Burnley	47%	55%	6%	No rating
16 Bottom 10% in England	Cherry Fold Community Primary School Burnley	46%	55%	0%	Not judged
17 Bottom 8% in England	Burnley Springfield Community Primary School Burnley	41%	43%	10%	Not judged
18 Bottom 7% in England	St Mary's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Burnley · Roman Catholic	43%	43%	0%	No rating
19 Bottom 3% in England	Burnley St Stephen's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Burnley · Church of England	36%	40%	3%	Report card
20 Bottom 3% in England	Whittlefield Primary School Burnley	37%	67%	0%	No rating
21 Bottom 2% in England	Burnley Brunshaw Primary School Burnley	32%	23%	0%	Good
22 Bottom 2% in England	Burnley Lowerhouse Junior School Burnley	32%	35%	0%	Requires improvement

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Questions

What is the best primary school in Burnley?

On exam results over the last three years, Wellfield Methodist and Anglican Church School is the top-ranked primary school in Burnley, in the top 20% of schools in England.

How are the schools ranked?

By published Department for Education exam results averaged over three years: for secondary schools, Attainment 8 plus a quarter of the share getting grade 5+ in English and maths; for primary schools, the share reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths plus half the share reaching the higher standard. The order uses the three-year average, so a school can rank above one with a higher single-year result. Schools with fewer than 10 pupils taking the tests are not ranked. Exam results are only part of the picture: visit, read the Ofsted report and check admissions rules, as living nearby does not guarantee a place.