Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
Commons Lane, Balderstone, Blackburn, BB2 7LL
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Victoria Gow
- Diocese
- Diocese of Blackburn
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Ribble Valley
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 105
- Pupils on roll
- 106
- URN
- 119415
- Local authority
- Lancashire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01254769150
About this school
Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Blackburn. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 106 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 12 September 2023, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. 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 | 14 | 13 | 14 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 71% | 77% | 79% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 21% | 8% | 14% |
| Expected standard in reading | 86% | 92% | 93% |
| Expected standard in maths | 71% | 85% | 86% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 93% | 100% | 93% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 109.0 | 109.0 | 112.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 107.0 | 108.0 |
| Reading progress | +3.60 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +3.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +0.60 | - | - |
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 Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided 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 | 77% | 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 | 4.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 98 |
| 2023/24 | 98 |
| 2024/25 | 103 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School compares
Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School ranked 54th 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 87% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 79% | 3.8% | 7.7% | 106 | — |
| St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, Osbaldeston | 71% | 2.8% | 6.1% | 69 | 1.1 miles |
| Mellor St Mary Church of England Primary School | 65% | 4.9% | 13% | 144 | 1.5 miles |
| Ribchester St Wilfrid's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School | 30% | 4.4% | 9.2% | 96 | 2.2 miles |
| Alston Lane Catholic Primary School, Longridge | 66% | 3.9% | 15.6% | 235 | 2.5 miles |
| Samlesbury Church of England School | 73% | 4.5% | 18.5% | 68 | 2.8 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)
- 7.69%
- English as an additional language
- 57.3%
- Overall absence
- 3.83%
- Persistent absence
- 2.67%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, Osbaldeston1.1 miles
Primary · Blackburn
-
Mellor St Mary Church of England Primary School1.5 miles
Primary · Blackburn
-
Ribchester St Wilfrid's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School2.2 miles
Primary · Preston
-
Alston Lane Catholic Primary School, Longridge2.5 miles
Primary · Preston
-
Samlesbury Church of England School2.8 miles
Primary · Preston
Other schools in Blackburn
Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School ranks 7th of the 49 ranked primary schools in Blackburn.
- Audley Infant School Primary
- Audley Junior 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
- Great Harwood St John's Church of England Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School teach?
- Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Blackburn.
- Who is the headteacher of Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
- The headteacher of Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is Mrs Victoria Gow, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided 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 Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
- Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School has 106 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School full?
- Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School has capacity for 105 pupils and 106 on roll (101%), so it is at or above 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 Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Blackburn.
- Does Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided 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 Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School compare with other schools in Lancashire?
- Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School ranked 54th 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 87% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's absence rate?
- Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's overall absence rate is 3.8% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided 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.