Belthorn Academy Primary School
Belthorn Road, Belthorn, Blackburn, BB1 2NY
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- BELTHORN ACADEMY PRIMARY SCHOOL
- Headteacher
- Mrs Melanie Furness
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Hyndburn
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 238
- URN
- 137512
- Local authority
- Lancashire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 0125455620
About this school
Belthorn Academy Primary School is a primary academy in Blackburn. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 238 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Belthorn Academy 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 29 February 2024, 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 | 32 | 21 | 30 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 75% | 71% | 73% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 9% | 5% | 3% |
| Expected standard in reading | 81% | 90% | 77% |
| Expected standard in maths | 88% | 90% | 83% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 91% | 90% | 90% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 107.0 | 106.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 106.0 | 105.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | +2.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +2.20 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.90 | - | - |
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 Belthorn Academy 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 | 75% | 58.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 71% | 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 | 5.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 227 |
| 2023/24 | 236 |
| 2024/25 | 240 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Belthorn Academy Primary School compares
Belthorn Academy Primary School ranked 113th 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 61% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 73% | 4.9% | 15.1% | 238 | — |
| Hoddlesden St Paul's Church of England Primary School | 41% | 3.7% | 1.9% | 237 | 1.3 miles |
| St James' Church of England Primary School | 50% | 5.3% | 26.7% | 202 | 1.5 miles |
| Shadsworth Junior School | 60% | 7.1% | 60.4% | 215 | 1.7 miles |
| Lower Darwen Primary School | 41% | 6.2% | 17.7% | 382 | 1.7 miles |
| Darwen St James CofE Primary Academy | 37% | 7.5% | 54.6% | 203 | 1.7 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)
- 15.08%
- English as an additional language
- 1.7%
- Overall absence
- 4.92%
- Persistent absence
- 11.36%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Hoddlesden St Paul's Church of England Primary School1.3 miles
Primary · Darwen
-
St James' Church of England Primary School1.5 miles
Primary · Darwen
-
Shadsworth Junior School1.7 miles
Primary · Arran Avenue
-
Lower Darwen Primary School1.7 miles
Primary · Darwen
-
Darwen St James CofE Primary Academy1.7 miles
Primary · Darwen
Other schools in Blackburn
Belthorn Academy Primary School ranks 13th 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
- 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 Belthorn Academy Primary School teach?
- Belthorn Academy Primary School teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Blackburn.
- Who is the headteacher of Belthorn Academy Primary School?
- The headteacher of Belthorn Academy Primary School is Mrs Melanie Furness, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Belthorn Academy Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Belthorn Academy 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 Belthorn Academy Primary School?
- Belthorn Academy Primary School has 238 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is Belthorn Academy Primary School full?
- Belthorn Academy Primary School has capacity for 210 pupils and 238 on roll (113%), 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 Belthorn Academy Primary School a faith school?
- No. Belthorn Academy Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Is Belthorn Academy Primary School a selective school?
- No. Belthorn Academy Primary School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Does Belthorn Academy Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Belthorn Academy Primary School as having nursery classes.
- Is Belthorn Academy Primary School part of an academy trust?
- Belthorn Academy Primary School is part of BELTHORN ACADEMY PRIMARY SCHOOL. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Belthorn Academy Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 75% 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 Belthorn Academy Primary School compare with other schools in Lancashire?
- Belthorn Academy Primary School ranked 113th 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 61% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Belthorn Academy Primary School's absence rate?
- Belthorn Academy Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.9% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Belthorn Academy Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Belthorn Academy 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 1 July 2026.