OFSTED
20 January 2026
Latest inspection
Latest published outcome
Met
Renewed framework
Safeguarding
Met
Inclusion
Strong standard
Curriculum & teaching
Expected standard
Achievement
Expected standard
Attendance & behaviour
Expected standard
Personal development
Expected standard
Leadership & governance
Expected standard
INSPECTION HISTORY
Previous Ofsted activity
15 September 2021
Ungraded inspection
School remains Good
Published
17 October 2021
SCHOOL DETAILS
About this school
School type
Studio schools
Phase
Secondary
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
—
Local authority
Blackburn with Darwen
Trust
ALDRIDGE EDUCATION
Census date
15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE
2025/26
School community
Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.
Total pupils
275
275 full-time ·
0 part-time
Female pupils
173
62.9% of pupils
Male pupils
102
37.1% of pupils
Free school meals
Pupils eligible for free school meals.
16.3 pts
above England
School
41.1%
Blackburn with Darwen
25.6%
North West
28.5%
England
24.8%
English as an additional language
Pupils whose first language is not English.
18.1 pts
below England
School
2.2%
Blackburn with Darwen
36.4%
North West
18.1%
England
20.3%
Young carers
Pupils recorded as young carers.
0.6 pts
below England
School
0.4%
Blackburn with Darwen
0.4%
North West
0.8%
England
1.0%
Ethnicity
Largest recorded pupil groups.
White British
92.0%
253
Any other White background
1.5%
4
White and Asian
1.5%
4
Unclassified
1.1%
3
Any other Mixed background
0.7%
2
Bangladeshi
0.7%
2
Council, regional and national comparisons
are pupil-weighted using published school
census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS
2025/26
Special educational needs
Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.
Pupils with SEN
37.1%
102 of
275 pupils
16.3 pts
above England
England:
20.8%
England
14.8%
15.4 pts
above
England
6.0%
0.9 pts
above
PRIMARY NEEDS
Pupils
Most common identified needs
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.
ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
2024/25
Key stage 4 outcomes
Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.
ATTAINMENT 8
Average attainment score
34.7
4.5 pts
below England
Latest published: -0.82 · 2023/24
Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE
2024/25
Attendance profile
Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.
ABSENCE RATE
18.20%
Overall absence
Percentage of possible sessions missed.
11.98 pts
higher than
England
School
18.20%
Blackburn with Darwen
6.47%
North West
6.25%
England
6.22%
ABSENCE RATE
56.34%
Persistent absence
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
40.52 pts
higher than
England
School
56.34%
Blackburn with Darwen
17.93%
North West
15.89%
England
15.82%
ABSENCE RATE
9.39%
Severe absence
Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.
7.59 pts
higher than
England
School
9.39%
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 secondary schools.
CAPACITY
Capacity utilisation
91.7%
0.7 pts
below England
Darwen Aldridge Enterprise Studio
91.7%
Blackburn with Darwen
94.1%
North West
91.8%
England
92.3%
Benchmarks use open schools in the
same phase. Capacity utilisation is
calculated from published pupil and
capacity figures.