Best Schools in Blackburn

How many schools are there in Blackburn?

Blackburn has 81 open schools: 54 state primary, 11 state secondary or all-through, 9 independent, 2 special and 5 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Blackburn are rated Outstanding?

8 schools in Blackburn were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Pleckgate High School, Tauheedul Islam Boys' High School, Wensley Fold CofE Primary Academy, Tauheedul Islam Girls' High School, St Thomas's Centre and 3 more. Counting Good as well, 95% of the 75 graded schools here are rated Good or better. Ofsted stopped giving single-word overall grades in September 2024, so these are the grades from each school's last full inspection.

Pleckgate High SchoolTauheedul Islam Boys' High SchoolWensley Fold CofE Primary AcademyTauheedul Islam Girls' High SchoolSt Thomas's Centre

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Blackburn get the best GCSE results?

Of the 11 schools in Blackburn with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Tauheedul Islam Girls' High School, with an Attainment 8 score of 68.7 and 89% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Tauheedul Islam Boys' High School, with an Attainment 8 score of 62.6 and 84% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and St Wilfrid's Church of England Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 49.8 and 58% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Tauheedul Islam Girls' High SchoolTauheedul Islam Boys' High SchoolSt Wilfrid's Church of England Academy

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Blackburn have the best SATs results?

Of the 49 primary schools in Blackburn with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at The Olive School, Blackburn (98% in reading, 99% in maths); Brookhouse Primary School (93% in reading, 97% in maths); and Langho and Billington St Leonards Church of England Primary School (93% in reading, 96% in maths). Small schools can swing a long way from one year to the next, because each pupil is a large share of the result.

The Olive School, BlackburnBrookhouse Primary SchoolLangho and Billington St Leonards Church of England Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Blackburn?

No. None of the state secondary schools in Blackburn selects pupils by ability, so every state secondary here is comprehensive.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Blackburn have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Blackburn have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, the council allocates places on its published criteria - usually looked-after children first, then siblings, then home-to-school distance - so the practical cut-off moves each year. Each school's page here shows an estimate of its catchment radius.

How do I apply for a school place in Blackburn?

Apply to your council - Blackburn with Darwen or Lancashire, depending on your address - through its coordinated admissions process, even for academies and faith schools. In England the closing date is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts. Independent schools run their own admissions, so apply to those directly.