Nelson St Paul's Church of England Primary School
Hibson Road, Nelson, BB9 0PY
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Joanne Roberts
- Diocese
- Diocese of Blackburn
- Constituency
- Pendle and Clitheroe
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 420
- Pupils on roll
- 408
- URN
- 119438
- Local authority
- Lancashire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01282617035
About this school
Nelson St Paul's Church of England Primary School is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Nelson. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 408 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school 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
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 5 February 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 | 58 | 57 | 60 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 59% | 61% | 58% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 2% | 11% | 8% |
| Expected standard in reading | 79% | 79% | 77% |
| Expected standard in maths | 83% | 74% | 82% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 83% | 84% | 82% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 105.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 104.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.60 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -2.20 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +0.50 | - | - |
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 Nelson St Paul's Church of England 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 | 59% | 58.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 61% | 58.3% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 58% | 58.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 415 |
| 2023/24 | 407 |
| 2024/25 | 407 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Nelson St Paul's Church of England Primary School compares
Nelson St Paul's Church of England Primary School ranked 272nd of 445 primary schools in Lancashire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 36% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 33% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 58% | 6.3% | 34.4% | 408 | — |
| Marsden Community Primary School | 65% | 5.2% | 32.6% | 415 | 0.2 miles |
| St John Southworth RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy | 18% | 5.7% | 37.7% | 209 | 0.3 miles |
| Whitefield Infant School and Nursery | — | 5.9% | 35.4% | 336 | 0.5 miles |
| Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy | 86% | 4.1% | 22.3% | 126 | 0.5 miles |
| Lomeshaye Junior School | 80% | 4.6% | 41.7% | 352 | 0.6 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)
- 34.4%
- English as an additional language
- 23.6%
- Overall absence
- 6.31%
- Persistent absence
- 15.07%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Marsden Community Primary School0.2 miles
Primary · Nelson
-
St John Southworth RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy0.3 miles
Primary · Nelson
-
Whitefield Infant School and Nursery0.5 miles
Primary · Nelson
-
Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy0.5 miles
Primary · Nelson
-
Lomeshaye Junior School0.6 miles
Primary · Nelson
Other schools in Nelson
Nelson St Paul's Church of England Primary School ranks 10th of the 16 ranked primary schools in Nelson.
- Barrowford School Primary
- Barrowford St Thomas Church of England Primary School Primary
- Blacko Primary School Primary
- Bradley Primary School Primary
- Castercliff Primary School Primary
- Great Marsden St John's Primary School A Church of England Academy Primary
- Holy Saviour Roman Catholic Primary School, Nelson Primary
- Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Primary
- Lomeshaye Junior School Primary
- Marsden Community Primary School Primary
- Nelson St Philip's Church of England Primary School Primary
- Pendle Primary Academy Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Nelson St Paul's Church of England Primary School teach?
- Nelson St Paul's Church of England Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Nelson.
- Who is the headteacher of Nelson St Paul's Church of England Primary School?
- The headteacher of Nelson St Paul's Church of England Primary School is Mrs Joanne Roberts, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Nelson St Paul's Church of England Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Nelson St Paul's Church of England 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 big is Nelson St Paul's Church of England Primary School?
- Nelson St Paul's Church of England Primary School has 408 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Nelson St Paul's Church of England Primary School full?
- Nelson St Paul's Church of England Primary School has capacity for 420 pupils and 408 on roll (97%), 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 Nelson St Paul's Church of England Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Nelson St Paul's Church of England Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Blackburn.
- Does Nelson St Paul's Church of England Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Nelson St Paul's Church of England Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have Nelson St Paul's Church of England Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 59% in 2022/23 and 58% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Nelson St Paul's Church of England Primary School rank locally?
- Nelson St Paul's Church of England Primary School ranked 272nd of 445 primary schools in Lancashire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 36% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 33% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Nelson St Paul's Church of England Primary School's absence rate?
- Nelson St Paul's Church of England Primary School's overall absence rate is 6.3% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Nelson St Paul's Church of England Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Nelson St Paul's Church of England 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.