OFSTED
Latest graded inspection
3 December 2024
Latest published outcome
Not judged
OEIF
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour & attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership & management
Good
SCHOOL DETAILS
About this school
School type
Community special school
Phase
Not applicable
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Does not apply
Local authority
Blackburn with Darwen
Trust
Not applicable
Census date
15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE
School community
Latest published pupil characteristics
for 2025/26.
2025/26
Total pupils
242
242 full-time ·
0 part-time
Female pupils
66
27.3% of pupils
Male pupils
176
72.7% of pupils
19.8 pts
above England
School
44.6%
Blackburn with Darwen
25.6%
North West
28.5%
England
24.8%
8.6 pts
above England
School
28.9%
Blackburn with Darwen
36.4%
North West
18.1%
England
20.3%
1.0 pts
below England
School
0.0%
Blackburn with Darwen
0.4%
North West
0.8%
England
1.0%
Ethnicity
Largest recorded pupil groups.
Any other Asian background
2.1%
5
Any other White background
2.1%
5
Council, regional and national comparisons
are pupil-weighted using published school
census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS
Special educational needs
Pupils receiving SEN support or with an
education, health and care plan.
2025/26
Pupils with SEN
100.0%
242 of
242 pupils
79.2 pts
above England
England:
20.8%
Blackburn with Darwen
19.8%
SEN support
0.0%
0 pupils
England
14.8%
14.8 pts
below
EHC plans
100.0%
242 pupils
England
6.0%
94.0 pts
above
PRIMARY NEEDS
Most common identified needs
Pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder
115
Severe learning difficulty
47
Profound & multiple learning difficulty
39
Speech, language & communication
20
Moderate learning difficulty
8
SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published
2025/26 Department for Education school-level data.
Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support
and pupils with EHC plans.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE
Attendance profile
Published Department for Education
absence data for
2024/25.
Lower absence rates are generally
better.
2024/25
ABSENCE RATE
Overall absence
10.72%
Percentage of possible sessions missed.
4.50 pts
higher than
England
School
10.72%
Blackburn with Darwen
6.47%
North West
6.25%
England
6.22%
ABSENCE RATE
Persistent absence
34.50%
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
18.68 pts
higher than
England
School
34.50%
Blackburn with Darwen
17.93%
North West
15.89%
England
15.82%
ABSENCE RATE
Severe absence
4.50%
Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.
2.70 pts
higher than
England
School
4.50%
Blackburn with Darwen
1.96%
North West
1.75%
England
1.80%
Council, regional and national
comparisons are averages of published
school-level percentages rather than
pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
School context
Comparison with open
not applicable schools.
CAPACITY
Capacity utilisation
127.4%
47.6 pts
above England
Blackburn with Darwen
68.9%
Benchmarks use open schools in the
same phase. Capacity utilisation is
calculated from published pupil and
capacity figures.