Rishton Methodist Primary School
George Street, Rishton, Blackburn, BB1 4JF
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Methodist
- Headteacher
- Mrs Donna Higgens
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Hyndburn
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 226
- Pupils on roll
- 143
- URN
- 119396
- Local authority
- Lancashire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01254887223
About this school
Rishton Methodist Primary School is a Methodist voluntary controlled primary school in Blackburn. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 143 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Rishton Methodist Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 19 March 2025, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 24 | 23 | 28 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 71% | 57% | 79% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 8% | 4% | 4% |
| Expected standard in reading | 79% | 70% | 89% |
| Expected standard in maths | 83% | 87% | 89% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 83% | 61% | 86% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 108.0 | 104.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 107.0 | 105.0 | 106.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.60 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.00 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.30 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Rishton Methodist Primary School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Lancashire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 71% | 58.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 57% | 58.3% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 79% | 58.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 168 |
| 2023/24 | 165 |
| 2024/25 | 157 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Rishton Methodist Primary School compares
Rishton Methodist Primary School ranked 59th of 445 primary schools in Lancashire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 86% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 18% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 79% | 7.9% | 43.3% | 143 | — |
| St Charles' Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy | — | — | — | 161 | 0.2 miles |
| Rishton St Peter and St Paul's Church of England Primary School | 60% | 3.7% | 31% | 188 | 0.4 miles |
| Clayton-le-Moors All Saints' Church of England Primary School | 78% | 4.2% | 17.6% | 267 | 1.1 miles |
| Great Harwood St John's Church of England Primary School | 44% | 5.7% | 45.1% | 158 | 1.1 miles |
| St Wulstan's Roman Catholic Primary School, Great Harwood | 27% | 5% | 33.8% | 135 | 1.2 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 43.31%
- English as an additional language
- 4.5%
- Overall absence
- 7.88%
- Persistent absence
- 17.93%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Charles' Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy0.2 miles
Primary · Blackburn
-
Rishton St Peter and St Paul's Church of England Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Blackburn
-
Clayton-le-Moors All Saints' Church of England Primary School1.1 miles
Primary · Accrington
-
Great Harwood St John's Church of England Primary School1.1 miles
Primary · Blackburn
-
St Wulstan's Roman Catholic Primary School, Great Harwood1.2 miles
Primary · Great Harwood
Other schools in Blackburn
Rishton Methodist Primary School ranks 9th of the 49 ranked primary schools in Blackburn.
- Audley Infant School Primary
- Audley Junior School Primary
- Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Primary
- Belthorn Academy Primary School Primary
- Blackburn St Thomas' Church of England Primary School Primary
- Blackburn the Redeemer CofE Primary Primary
- Brookhouse Primary School Primary
- Cedars Primary School Primary
- Daisyfield Primary School Primary
- Feniscowles Primary School Primary
- Great Harwood Primary School Primary
- Great Harwood St Bartholomew's Parish Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Rishton Methodist Primary School teach?
- Rishton Methodist Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Blackburn.
- Who is the headteacher of Rishton Methodist Primary School?
- The headteacher of Rishton Methodist Primary School is Mrs Donna Higgens, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Rishton Methodist Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Rishton Methodist Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Rishton Methodist Primary School?
- Rishton Methodist Primary School has 143 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Rishton Methodist Primary School full?
- Rishton Methodist Primary School has capacity for 226 pupils and 143 on roll (63%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Rishton Methodist Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Rishton Methodist Primary School is designated Methodist.
- Does Rishton Methodist Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Rishton Methodist Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have Rishton Methodist Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 71% in 2022/23 and 79% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Rishton Methodist Primary School compare with other schools in Lancashire?
- Rishton Methodist Primary School ranked 59th of 445 primary schools in Lancashire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 86% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 18% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Rishton Methodist Primary School's absence rate?
- Rishton Methodist Primary School's overall absence rate is 7.9% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Rishton Methodist Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Rishton Methodist Primary School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 30 June 2026.