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Wheatley Lane Methodist Primary School

Primary Ages 4-11 207 pupils Burnley
Ofsted: Good
All schools in Burnley

Wheatley Lane Methodist Primary School is an academy converter in Burnley for pupils aged 4 to 11. It has a Methodist religious character. It has 207 pupils on roll. The latest Ofsted rating for Wheatley Lane Methodist Primary School is Good, from an inspection in March 2023 of its predecessor, Wheatley Lane Methodist Voluntary Aided Primary School. In 2025, 72% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Ofsted inspection: April 2024. KS2 results: 2025.

Type Primary / Academy converter
Age Range 4-11
Religion Methodist
Address Fence
Burnley
Lancashire
BB12 9ED
Phone 01282617214
Reference Number 150581

General Makeup

Number of pupils 207
Boy/Girl ratio Boys: 46.38%
Girls: 53.62%
Percentage of students eligible for free school meals 6.8%
Percentage of students where English is not their first language 1.4%

Class Sizes

Average size of one teacher classes 29.6
Average size of Key Stage 1 classes taught by one teacher 29.3
Average size of Key Stage 2 classes taught by one teacher 29.8

Year Groups

Year Boys Girls Total
1 19 11 30
2 14 14 28
3 16 14 30
4 11 18 29
5 13 17 30
6 9 21 30

Ethnicities

Ethnicity Percentage
White, British 85%
Asian, Other 3.9%
Pakistani 3.4%
White & Asian 2.4%
Unclassified 1.4%
Mixed, Other 1.4%
White, Other 0.5%
White & Black (Caribbean) 0.5%
Irish 0.5%

This school has not been graded since it changed URN, usually on converting to an academy. The rating shown is from its predecessor, Wheatley Lane Methodist Voluntary Aided Primary School, inspected in March 2023.

Overall Ofsted Rating Good
Last Report Date This school has not had an inspection yet.
Date Report
06 Apr 2024 Academy conversion letter

How many students meet the standards

Reading, Writing & Maths School Score Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
Pupils meeting the expected standard 72%
Pupils meeting a higher standard 10%

Average Scaled Score

Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.

Subject School Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
Reading 106
Maths 106
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Reception admissions, 2026 entry

Number of Applications Number of Offers
First Preference
Second Preference 24 7
Third Preference 24 0
From another Local Authority 1 1

Previous years

Sample

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Places and pupil numbers

In 2024–25 Wheatley Lane Methodist Primary School had 208 pupils for 210 places. 2 places (1.0%) were unfilled.

Pupils and places

Reception intake in the “Pendle/Barrowford & Rural Primary” planning area

Lancashire counted 141 Reception pupils in this area in 2024–25 and forecasts 101 in 2029–30, down 28%.

20242025
Places 210210
Pupils 208208
Unfilled 1.0%1.0%

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 Wheatley Lane Methodist Primary School attended 95.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 11.0% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

2025
Authorised absence 3.3%
Unauthorised absence 1.2%
Severely absent pupils 0.0%

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, 0.0% of pupils at Wheatley Lane Methodist Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

2025
Suspensions per 100 pupils 0.0
Permanent exclusions 0

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 Wheatley Lane Methodist Primary School had 23.5 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

20252026
Pupils per adult 12.812.4
Teachers who left state teaching 11.1%–
Teachers who took any sick leave 77.8%–
Sick days per teacher 3.8–

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, 17.9% of pupils at Wheatley Lane Methodist Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.9% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

SEN support EHC plan
Speech, language and communication needs 12 1
Social, emotional and mental health 10 0
Specific learning difficulty 6 0
Autistic spectrum disorder 3 1
No specialist assessment of need 3 0
Other difficulty or disability 2 1
Moderate learning difficulty 0 1
Multi-sensory impairment 1 0

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 2024–25 Wheatley Lane Methodist Primary School received £6,120 and spent £6,123 for each of its 208 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £161,000 (£775 per pupil).

Across all 11 schools of Epworth Education Trust, income was £7,330 and spending £7,127 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

2025
Revenue reserve £161,000
per pupil £775
In-year balance -£1,000
per pupil -£3

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

Name Distance
Newchurch-In-Pendle St Mary's Church of England Primary School
Spenbrook Road, Newchurch-in-Pendle, Burnley, Lancashire, BB12 9JP
1.18 miles
Pendle Primary Academy
Walter Street, Brierfield, Nelson, Lancashire, BB9 5AW
1.39 miles
Higham St John's Church of England Primary School
Higham Hall Road, Higham, Burnley, Lancashire, BB12 9EU
1.4 miles
Woodfield Nursery School
Sefton Street, Nelson, BB9 5BE
1.45 miles
Lomeshaye Junior School
Norfolk Street, Nelson, Lancashire, BB9 7SY
1.52 miles
Roughlee Church of England Primary School
Blacko Bar Road, Roughlee, Nelson, Lancashire, BB9 6NX
1.56 miles
Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy
Halifax Road, Brierfield, Nelson, Lancashire, BB9 5BL
1.57 miles
Whitefield Infant School and Nursery
Every Street, Nelson, Lancashire, BB9 7HF
1.61 miles
Al-Ikhlaas Primary School
35 Norfolk Street, Nelson, Lancashire, BB9 7SY
1.61 miles
St John Southworth RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy
Lomeshaye Road, Nelson, Lancashire, BB9 0DQ
1.62 miles
Barrowford St Thomas Church of England Primary School
Wheatley Lane Road, Barrowford, Nelson, Lancashire, BB9 6QT
1.68 miles
Reedley Primary School
Reedley Road, Reedley, Burnley, Lancashire, BB10 2NE
1.72 miles
Nelson St Paul's Church of England Primary School
Hibson Road, Nelson, Lancashire, BB9 0PY
1.77 miles
Marsden Community Primary School
Percy Street, Nelson, Lancashire, BB9 0BE
1.8 miles
McMillan Nursery School
Railway Street, Nelson, BB9 9AG
1.92 miles
Casterton Primary Academy
Casterton Primary Academy, Thames Avenue, Burnley, BB10 2PZ
1.96 miles
Bradley Nursery School
Bradley Road East, Nelson, BB9 7QH
1.97 miles
Nelson St Philip's Church of England Primary School
Leeds Road, Nelson, Lancashire, BB9 9TQ
1.99 miles
Holy Saviour Roman Catholic Primary School, Nelson
Holland Place, Off Reedyford Road, Nelson, Lancashire, BB9 8HD
2.02 miles
St John the Baptist RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy
Thames Avenue, Burnley, Lancashire, BB10 2PZ
2.03 miles
Name Distance
Marsden Heights Community College
Edge End Lane, Nelson, Lancashire, BB9 0PR
1.55 miles
East Lancashire Learning Group
Scotland Road, Nelson, Lancashire, BB9 7YT
1.67 miles
Grow Independent School
Lower Clough Business Centre, Pendle Street, Barrowford, Lancashire, BB9 8PH
1.71 miles
Edenfield Girls' High School
Brunswick Street, Nelson, Lancashire, BB9 0PQ
1.95 miles
Pendle Vale College
Oxford Road, Nelson, Lancashire, BB9 8LF
2.62 miles
Silver Birch School
Briercliffe Road, Harle Syke, Burnley, Lancashire, BB10 2HA
2.64 miles
Ridgewood Community High School
Eastern Avenue, Burnley, Lancashire, BB10 2AT
2.66 miles
Pendle Community High School & College
Oxford Road, Nelson, Lancashire, BB9 8LF
2.7 miles
Burnley College
Princess Way, Burnley, Lancashire, BB12 0AN
2.71 miles
Sir John Thursby Community College
Eastern Avenue, Burnley, Lancashire, BB10 2AT
2.72 miles
Holdsworth School
Park Hill, Padiham Road, Burnley, Lancashire, BB12 6TG
2.74 miles
Olive High Boys
Ormerod Road (Entrance Via Shorey Bank), Burnley, Lancashire, BB11 2RU
2.93 miles
Lincoln House School
25-27 Clifton Street, Burnley, Lancashire, BB12 0QZ
2.94 miles
Compass Community School Lancashire
Bend Hill Farm, Granville Street, Briercliffe, Burnley, BB10 2RA
2.94 miles
Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School
Gibfield Road, Colne, Lancashire, BB8 8JT
2.97 miles
Olive High
Shorey Bank, Burnley, BB11 2RY
2.99 miles
Burnley High School
Byron Street, Burnley, Lancashire, BB12 6NX
3.05 miles
Colne Primet Academy
Dent Street, Colne, Lancashire, BB8 8JF
3.05 miles
Shuttleworth College
Burnley Road, Padiham, Burnley, Lancashire, BB12 8ST
3.05 miles
Blessed Trinity Roman Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy
Ormerod Road, Burnley, Lancashire, BB10 3AA
3.07 miles

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

What is Wheatley Lane Methodist Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Wheatley Lane Methodist Primary School is Good, from an inspection in March 2023 of its predecessor, Wheatley Lane Methodist Voluntary Aided Primary School.

When was Wheatley Lane Methodist Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Wheatley Lane Methodist Primary School was last inspected in April 2024.

How many pupils does Wheatley Lane Methodist Primary School have?

Wheatley Lane Methodist Primary School has 207 pupils on roll.

What age range does Wheatley Lane Methodist Primary School cover?

Wheatley Lane Methodist Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Wheatley Lane Methodist Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 72% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Wheatley Lane Methodist Primary School?

Wheatley Lane Methodist Primary School is at Fence, Burnley, Lancashire, BB12 9ED.

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