School Chooser

Clitheroe Brookside Primary School

Primary · ages 5-11MixedCouncil87 pupilsClitheroeLancashire
School Chooser Score
4
Well below
similar schools
Likely range 2 to 9
Out of 100. Better than 7% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedNeeds attention teachingOfsted report card, April 2026
Reached the expected level at 1150%England 63%
Attendance95.2%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families26%About the same as most schools in England
Places123 spare87 pupils, 210 places
Pupils per teacher18.1School workforce census

Clitheroe Brookside Primary School is a council school in Clitheroe for boys and girls aged 5 to 11. It has 87 pupils and room for 210. About 26 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, about the same as most schools in England. We give it 4 out of 100. That puts it well below schools like it, ahead of 7% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted visited in April 2026 and gave it a report card, which is below.

Bright Street, Clitheroe, BB7 1NW01200 425564brookside.lancs.sch.ukMrs Charlotte Macquarrie headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted visited on 21 April 2026. Instead of one overall word, it now gives a grade for each part of school life. Read the full report on Ofsted's website.

TeachingOfsted calls this “curriculum and teaching”
Needs attention
Achievement
Needs attention
Behaviour and attendanceOfsted calls this “attendance and behaviour”
Needs attention
Support for every childOfsted calls this “inclusion”
Needs attention
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development and wellbeing”
Needs attention
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and governance”
Needs attention
Early years
As expected
SafeguardingAre pupils kept safe?
Pupils are kept safe
Met
Ofsted's scale:ExceptionalStrong standardExpected standardNeeds attentionUrgent improvement

Ofsted says these new grades can't be lined up against the old one-word grades.

Earlier inspections (1)
DateTypeOutcome
8 February 2022Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1Good

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

30 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1150%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level10%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score102.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score101.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 50%50%20172018: 41%41%20182019: 68%68%20192023: 78%78%20232024: 30%30%20242025: 50%50%2025
Since 2017: +0%Declining overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017LancashireEngland
Pupils tested302723282730
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths50%30%78%68%41%50%61%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths10%4%9%4%4%3%8%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score102.0100.0105.0104.0103.0102.0105.2105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score101.097.0106.0105.0104.0102.0104.2104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score103.0100.0103.0104.0105.0104.0104.9105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard63%48%78%75%63%67%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard60%37%91%82%74%67%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)83%63%78%75%44%60%
Reading progressReading progress score-0.1-0.3-2.0-3.9
Maths progressMaths progress score+0.9+0.6-0.6-3.3
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged11%0%50%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged39%52%50%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. None of the gaps is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
65%31%
Gap 34 ptsEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Plenty of spare places137 pupils for 180 places, 2024/25
76% full

43 places were empty (24% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 16% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Lancashire council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll87Census January 2026
Places21041% full
Pupils from low-income families26%26% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English9%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support14%12 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan6%5 pupils with a plan
Average class size21.84 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils25%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)27%£44,950 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls44 / 43
White British pupils77%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Moderate learning difficulty (6), Autistic spectrum disorder (4), language and communications needs (4), emotional and mental health (3).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll87135147159158172
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals26%24%26%26%22%19%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language9%7%5%5%6%8%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support12%12%11%12%10%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans4%2%2%1%1%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.2% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance95.2%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school14.2%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils3.72024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.4%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence4.8%5.4%5.9%5.9%2.9%4.3%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.4%4.0%4.3%5.1%2.5%3.2%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.4%1.4%1.6%0.8%0.4%1.0%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence14.2%15.0%16.4%13.7%6.5%8.6%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate3.74.84.40.60.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers4.8full-time equivalent, 5 people
Pupils per teacher18.1Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants5.5full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£56,892
Teachers who left in the year44%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher3.72022/23

Money

From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£8,205England £7,738. Total £1.1m
Income per pupil£8,458England £7,697. Total £1.1m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,351England £3,480
Money in reserve7%Not much put by: £78k, £577 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out+£34kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£8,205spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m22012 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate67 per 1,000 people26% lower than the England average
Typical house price£275,000Ribble Valley
Nearest bus stop320 mHolden Street, 10 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Clitheroe Pendle Primary SchoolCouncil560 m349Good 202479Compare
St Michael and St John's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary AcademyAcademy650 m133Good 2023Compare
Ribblesdale SchoolCouncil820 m1,437No overall grade 202544Compare
St James' Church of England Primary School, ClitheroeChurch of England980 m262Not inspected21Compare
Edisford Primary SchoolCouncil1.0 miles212Good 202088Compare
Waddington and West Bradford Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolChurch of England1.6 miles200Good 202348Compare
Chatburn Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England1.9 miles132No overall grade 202468Compare
Barrow URC Primary SchoolUnited Reformed Church2.2 miles206Good 202483Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Clitheroe Brookside Primary School with the 46 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 46 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats7%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
Near the bottom of its group. Its score of 4 is 42 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 1 · middle 46 · highest 94100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 4 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 4% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 2 to 9. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years25%below
-0.15
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 30 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%well below
-0.62
Ofsted report card, 0.4 years old
Progress pupils make20%in line
+0.03
DfE progress measure; 30 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%well below
-0.20
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%in line
+0.00
2024/25; 127 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%below
-0.10
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 30 pupils
What parents say0%no data

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Clitheroe Brookside Primary School a good school?

The figures are weak. Clitheroe Brookside Primary School scores 4 out of 100. That is well below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 7% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 2 to 9, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Clitheroe Brookside Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted no longer gives schools one overall grade. When it visited on 21 April 2026 it rated teaching as needs attention, achievement as needs attention, behaviour and attendance as needs attention, leadership as needs attention.

How good are Clitheroe Brookside Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 50% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 10% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Clitheroe Brookside Primary School have?

87 pupils aged 5 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 210 places, so it is 41% full.

Is Clitheroe Brookside Primary School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 43 places were empty in 2024/25 (24% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Clitheroe Brookside Primary School?

Pupils were in school 95.2% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 14% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Clitheroe Brookside Primary School?

The average class had 21.8 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 25% of classes had more than 30 pupils.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Bright Street, Clitheroe, BB7 1NW
Telephone
01200 425564
Website
www.brookside.lancs.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Charlotte Macquarrie
Type of school
Council school (Community school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 5-11
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Lancashire
Ward
Salthill
Constituency
Pendle and Clitheroe
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
119321 · LAESTAB 8882651 · UKPRN 10077704

Where these figures come from