OFSTED
14 December 2022
Latest ungraded inspection
Latest published outcome
School remains Good
SCHOOL DETAILS
About this school
School type
Academy converter
Phase
Secondary
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
—
Local authority
Blackburn with Darwen
Trust
OAK LEARNING PARTNERSHIP
Census date
15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE
2025/26
School community
Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.
Total pupils
1,015
1,015 full-time ·
0 part-time
Female pupils
485
47.8% of pupils
Male pupils
530
52.2% of pupils
Free school meals
Pupils eligible for free school meals.
19.2 pts
above England
School
44.0%
Blackburn with Darwen
25.6%
North West
28.5%
England
24.8%
English as an additional language
Pupils whose first language is not English.
39.0 pts
above England
School
59.3%
Blackburn with Darwen
36.4%
North West
18.1%
England
20.3%
Young carers
Pupils recorded as young carers.
0.7 pts
below England
School
0.3%
Blackburn with Darwen
0.4%
North West
0.8%
England
1.0%
Ethnicity
Largest recorded pupil groups.
Pakistani
44.6%
453
White British
21.3%
216
Indian
14.6%
148
Any other Asian background
5.9%
60
Any other ethnic group
3.3%
33
Any other White background
3.2%
32
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
26.9%
273 of
1,015 pupils
6.1 pts
above England
England:
20.8%
England
14.8%
8.6 pts
above
England
6.0%
2.5 pts
below
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
41.0
1.8 pts
above England
Latest published: -0.20 · 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
7.95%
Overall absence
Percentage of possible sessions missed.
1.73 pts
higher than
England
School
7.95%
Blackburn with Darwen
6.47%
North West
6.25%
England
6.22%
ABSENCE RATE
25.12%
Persistent absence
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
9.31 pts
higher than
England
School
25.12%
Blackburn with Darwen
17.93%
North West
15.89%
England
15.82%
ABSENCE RATE
3.62%
Severe absence
Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.
1.81 pts
higher than
England
School
3.62%
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
112.8%
20.5 pts
above England
Blackburn Central High School
112.8%
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.