A town in Lancashire
In short: Most primary schools here are rated Good or better, about the same as across England. Results at 11 are close to England, and results at 16 were below England in 2026. Missing school is a bigger problem than across England.
Nelson at a glance
How Nelson's schools compare with England, area by area.
Primary and secondary schools are ranked by Eduscope score, which weighs up results, inspections, attendance and more. Nurseries, special and independent schools aren't ranked. A high score isn't everything: always visit.
11 mainstream schools in Nelson, best first
Results well above the England average.
Met the standard at 1180%
England 62%
Results above the England average.
74 first choices, 59 offers made
Met the standard at 1165%
England 62%
Results above the England average.
38 first choices, 51 offers made
Met the standard at 1165%
England 62%
2 mainstream schools in Nelson, best first
Results below the England average.
209 first choices, 205 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1641.5
England 46.2
Results below the England average.
220 first choices, 207 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1641.8
England 46.2
11 in Nelson, highest Ofsted grade first
Nelson, BB9 0PQ · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
Nelson, BB9 0DZ · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
Nelson, BB9 7QH · State · Nursery · Ages 2 to 4
No published results yet.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
1 in Nelson, by the school's Eduscope score
Nelson, BB9 8LF · Special · Secondary · Ages 11 to 19
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
1 in Nelson. Eduscope doesn't rank these.
Nelson, BB9 8LF · Special · Secondary · Ages 11 to 19
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
2 in Nelson. Eduscope doesn't rank these.
Nelson, BB9 7SY · Independent · Primary · Ages 3 to 11
Independent school. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Bb9 0pq · Independent · Secondary · Ages 11 to 16 · Girls
Independent school. Results well above the England average.
Attainment 8 at 1662.7
England 46.2
Each dot is a school or nursery, coloured by its latest Ofsted grade. Point at a dot to see its name, or use the list.
Your home council handles your application, wherever the school is. Living nearby doesn't guarantee a place: each school's admission rules decide.
Pick a stage to see every Nelson school for that age, with filters for type, faith and Ofsted grade.
Ages 0 to 4
All 8 inspected are Good or better.
11nurseries
Ages 4 to 11
100% Good or better. 60% met the standard at 11.
12schools
Ages 11 to 16
The one inspected is Good or better. 34% got grade 5 in English and maths.
4schools
The one inspected is Good or better. About 10 pupils per teacher.
1school
Here's how Nelson's schools break down by type, faith and more.
Some areas, like parts of a bigger town, are easiest to find by postcode.
Inspections, exam results and attendance, next to the figure for England where we have it.
Worked out by Eduscope from each school's published figures. Not an official statistic for this town.
NelsonEngland
Primaries rated Good or Outstanding
Latest Ofsted grade, 9 primaries with one.
100%
England 96%
Close to England
Secondaries rated Good or Outstanding
1 of the 1 with a grade.
100%
England 93%
Met the expected standard at 11
Reading, writing and maths.
60%
England 62%
Close to England
Grade 5 or above in English and maths
At GCSE.
34%
Pupils who miss a lot of school
Missed 1 in 10 days or more. Lower is better.
20%
England 18%
Primary pupils on free school meals
A sign of family income, not of school quality.
44%
Latest graded inspection for the 13 schools that have one.
100%
Good or Outstanding
Nelson in blue. There were no tests in 2020 and 2021 because of Covid.
Nelson has 27 schools and nurseries.
There are 9% more pupils than in 2018.
44% of primary pupils here get free school meals. Schools get extra money for each of them.
Pupils in Nelson's state schools each January.
Up 9% since 2018. More children can mean popular schools fill up faster.
Out of every 10 primary pupils, how many get free school meals. It's a sign of family income, not of school quality.
Nelson44%
Apply through your local council, even for academies and faith schools.
Follow any school and we'll email you when it gets a new Ofsted report or new results are out. Nothing else.
Nelson has 27 schools, including 12 primary schools, 4 secondary schools, 11 nurseries, 2 independent schools, 1 special school. Some count in more than one group. You can browse each category using the filters on Eduscope.
The highest-ranked schools in Nelson on Eduscope are Lomeshaye Junior School, Marsden Community Primary School, Walverden Primary School. We rank each state school against schools of the same phase across England on its Ofsted inspection, results and attendance. Independent, special and nursery schools aren't ranked.
100% of inspected schools in Nelson hold a Good or Outstanding Ofsted rating, which is above the England average of 94.8%. This includes 1 school rated Outstanding and 12 rated Good.
Across primary schools in Nelson, 60% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths at Key Stage 2. This is based on the latest published results from the Department for Education.
The average pupil-teacher ratio across schools in Nelson is 19.6:1. While not a direct measure of class size, this indicates the level of teaching resource available per pupil. Across England it is 17.9:1.
The persistent absence rate across schools in Nelson is 20.4%. A pupil is classed as persistently absent if they miss 10% or more of school sessions. Across England it is 18.1%.
There are 6,090 pupils enrolled across schools in Nelson, with 3,514 in primary and 2,259 in secondary. 39.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals.
There are 2 independent schools in Nelson. Fees vary by school and age group, with day school fees typically ranging from £10,000 to £20,000 per year. You can compare all private schools in Nelson on Eduscope, including ISI inspection ratings where available.
Start by considering your child's age, your location, and whether you prefer a state or independent school. Use Eduscope to compare 27 schools in Nelson by Ofsted ratings, exam results, and distance. Filter by school type, gender, religious character, and admissions policy to narrow your options.
Sources: DfE school performance tables, DfE school census and workforce, DfE pupil absence, Ofsted. Photos are stand-ins.
