Burnley Lowerhouse Junior School

Burnley Lowerhouse Junior School is currently rated as 'Requires Improvement' following its first inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic. While the school provides a welcoming environment where pupils feel safe and develop positive attitudes, the quality of education falls short in some areas, particularly in reading and mathematics. Recent efforts to improve the curriculum are evident, but these improvements have not yet translated into consistently high achievement for all pupils. There are ongoing challenges in ensuring some pupils, including disadvantaged students, receive the support they need to attend school regularly.

Strengths

• Pupils are kind, considerate, and polite towards one another.
• The school provides effective support for pupils' personal development.
• Staff care well for pupils and create a safe learning environment.
• The school has raised expectations for what pupils can achieve through improvements in the curriculum.
• Pupils enjoy participating in school events and have opportunities for leadership roles.

Areas for Improvement

• Some subjects have not been designed to help pupils remember essential knowledge.
• Staff training for delivering the reading curriculum, including phonics, is insufficient.
• Many pupils, particularly disadvantaged ones, demonstrate low attendance.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Burnley Lowerhouse Junior School attended 92.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 20.8% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 2.9% of pupils at Burnley Lowerhouse Junior School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). One pupil was permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Burnley Lowerhouse Junior School had 21.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 22.2% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 16.7% of pupils at Burnley Lowerhouse Junior School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.0% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Burnley Lowerhouse Junior School received £7,655 and spent £7,415 for each of its 204 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £51,000 (£251 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Burnley · Lancashire local authority: places and applications

What is Burnley Lowerhouse Junior School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Burnley Lowerhouse Junior School is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in October 2023.

When was Burnley Lowerhouse Junior School last inspected by Ofsted?

Burnley Lowerhouse Junior School was last inspected in October 2023.

How many pupils does Burnley Lowerhouse Junior School have?

Burnley Lowerhouse Junior School has 204 pupils on roll.

What age range does Burnley Lowerhouse Junior School cover?

Burnley Lowerhouse Junior School for pupils aged 7 to 11.

What are Burnley Lowerhouse Junior School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 35% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Burnley Lowerhouse Junior School?

Burnley Lowerhouse Junior School is at Liverpool Road, Burnley, Lancashire, BB12 6LN.