Barrow URC Primary School
Old Row, Barrow, Clitheroe, BB7 9AZ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- United Reformed Church
- Headteacher
- Mrs Nicola McArdle
- Constituency
- Pendle and Clitheroe
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 206
- URN
- 119397
- Local authority
- Lancashire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01254822338
About this school
Barrow URC Primary School is an United Reformed Church voluntary controlled primary school in Clitheroe. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 206 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Barrow URC 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. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Outstanding
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 25 | 31 | 30 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 64% | 65% | 73% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 8% | 10% | 10% |
| Expected standard in reading | 96% | 87% | 90% |
| Expected standard in maths | 76% | 84% | 97% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 88% | 84% | 93% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 109.0 | 107.0 | 109.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 107.0 | 110.0 |
| Reading progress | +3.00 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.20 | - | - |
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 Barrow URC 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 | 64% | 58.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 65% | 58.3% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 73% | 58.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 3.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 3.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 169 |
| 2023/24 | 181 |
| 2024/25 | 194 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Barrow URC Primary School compares
Barrow URC Primary School ranked 105th of 445 primary schools in Lancashire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 73% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 83% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 73% | 4% | 6.2% | 206 | — |
| Whalley Church of England Primary School | 81% | 4% | 7.7% | 315 | 1.5 miles |
| St James' Church of England Primary School, Clitheroe | 51% | 4.2% | 18.4% | 262 | 1.7 miles |
| Edisford Primary School | 81% | 4.1% | 11.3% | 212 | 1.8 miles |
| St Michael and St John's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy | — | — | — | 133 | 1.9 miles |
| Clitheroe Brookside Primary School | 50% | 4.8% | 25.2% | 87 | 2.2 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)
- 6.19%
- English as an additional language
- 0%
- Overall absence
- 4.02%
- Persistent absence
- 7.83%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Whalley Church of England Primary School1.5 miles
Primary · Clitheroe
-
St James' Church of England Primary School, Clitheroe1.7 miles
Primary · Clitheroe
-
Edisford Primary School1.8 miles
Primary · Clitheroe
-
St Michael and St John's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy1.9 miles
Primary · Clitheroe
-
Clitheroe Brookside Primary School2.2 miles
Primary · Clitheroe
Other schools in Clitheroe
Barrow URC Primary School ranks 4th of the 12 ranked primary schools in Clitheroe.
- Bolton by Bowland Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Primary
- Chatburn Church of England Primary School Primary
- Clitheroe Brookside Primary School Primary
- Clitheroe Pendle Primary School Primary
- Edisford Primary School Primary
- Gisburn Primary School Primary
- Grindleton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Primary
- Slaidburn Brennands Endowed Primary School Primary
- St James' Church of England Primary School, Clitheroe Primary
- St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School, Hurst Green Primary
- St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, Sabden Primary
- St Michael and St John's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Barrow URC Primary School teach?
- Barrow URC Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Clitheroe.
- Who is the headteacher of Barrow URC Primary School?
- The headteacher of Barrow URC Primary School is Mrs Nicola McArdle, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Barrow URC Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Barrow URC 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 Barrow URC Primary School?
- Barrow URC Primary School has 206 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Barrow URC Primary School full?
- Barrow URC Primary School has capacity for 210 pupils and 206 on roll (98%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Barrow URC Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Barrow URC Primary School is designated United Reformed Church.
- Does Barrow URC Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Barrow URC Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have Barrow URC Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 64% in 2022/23 and 73% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Barrow URC Primary School compare with other schools in Lancashire?
- Barrow URC Primary School ranked 105th of 445 primary schools in Lancashire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 73% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 83% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Barrow URC Primary School's absence rate?
- Barrow URC Primary School's overall absence rate is 4% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Barrow URC Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Barrow URC 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.