Cedars Primary School, Blackburn
Cedars Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Blackburn. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in February 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 10th-highest of the 49 schools in Blackburn with published results, and 2,234th of 14,452 across England. It was 89% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Blackburn with Darwen (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Cedars Primary School in detail
Cedars Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Cedars takes pride in its lovely building, surrounding and how hard we work as a team . We believe each day is an adventure which we'd like you and your children to join us on. We live by our motto, "To provide inspiring education in a caring place, where every child can flourish and every day is unmissable"."
The school runs a breakfast club from 8:00am, from £1 per day.
Coming up: an open day on Tuesday 10 November 2026 at 9.30am. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Blackburn with Darwen
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)Open days on the school's site (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 83% of Year 6 pupils at Cedars Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 93% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 74% and 76% in Blackburn with Darwen and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 79% in reading and 82% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Cedars Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 44 families put Cedars Primary School as their first choice and 98 named it as one of their preferences, for 52 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Cedars Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Cedars Primary School are Brookhouse Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 93% reading, 97% maths); St James' Church of England Primary School Blackburn (0.4 miles, Good, 83% reading, 90% maths); St Stephen's Church of England Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 76% reading, 88% maths); and Holy Souls Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn (0.6 miles, Good, 73% reading, 73% maths).
Cedars Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.
Brookhouse Primary SchoolSt James' Church of England Primary School BlackburnSt Stephen's Church of England Primary SchoolHoly Souls Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn
What parents say
30 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Cedars Primary School (as of September 2025): 100% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 100% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (100%); the weakest, that the school supports their child's wider development (93%).
Who goes there
94.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 97 pupils (23.8%) received SEN support and 15 (3.7%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Blackburn Rail Station, about 1.1 miles away in a straight line.
14 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Spar (opposite), 120 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Cedars Primary School stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
Cedars Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from November 2019, 6 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's February 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Cedars Primary School creates a caring, inclusive environment where pupils from different backgrounds and abilities feel welcome and settled. The school teaches reading exceptionally well, with most children meeting phonics standards quickly. Teachers are skilled at spotting when children have misunderstood something and provide fast support to help them learn correctly.
Key Strengths
- Well-designed curriculum with clearly outlined knowledge delivered effectively across subjects
- Teachers use assessment strategies effectively to spot errors and misconceptions, providing swift support
- Strong focus on early reading with effective phonics teaching - most pupils meet the phonics screening check in Year 1
- Pupils' personal development is catered for well with strong knowledge of protected characteristics and respect for differences
- Positive pupil conduct with low-level disruptions rare, and improved attendance rates
Areas for Improvement
- School does not adapt curriculum delivery consistently well for some pupils with SEND, occasionally hindering their achievement
- Some pupils miss learning due to term-time family holidays despite school efforts to discourage absences
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
Extracurricular Activities
Sports clubs, cooking clubs, museum trips, local interest trips, playground leader roles, buddy roles, school council roles
Cedars Primary School is a warm and welcoming school that has maintained good standards of education. Pupils feel supported, safe, and achieve well in many subjects, including national assessments at the end of Year 6.
At a Glance
18.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
30 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 79% to 83% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 82% to 93% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 80% to 74% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
27.6
Avg class size
25.2
Infant (KS1)
29.0
KS2
14
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Cedars Primary School
Before and after school care
Cedars Primary School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Blackburn with Darwen
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Cedars Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Cedars Primary School is in Blackburn with Darwen; for families living there:
Apply to Blackburn with Darwen for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 26
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 7
- Children hurt
- 7
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 26 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 7 serious and 19 slight.
7 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 5 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise.
5 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Blackburn with Darwen is 24 (the median across 89 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Cedars Primary School
Will you get a place at Cedars Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Cedars Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Cedars Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Cedars Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Blackburn with Darwen, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Cedars Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Blackburn with Darwen got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
89%
Available places
373 pupils
420 places
47 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Blackburn
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Blackburn
Across Blackburn with Darwen council
Places available
2,256
Applications
1,926
Got 1st preference
89.3%
Got preferred school
97.9%
All primary applications across Blackburn with Darwen council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(7)
Ungraded inspection: Standards have been maintained.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
97
SEN Support
15
EHC Plans
27.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
407
Total Pupils
200
Boys
207
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
19
Teachers
21.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£54,343
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,760
Per pupil
£2290k
Total funding
£108k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.2%
Overall absence
15.7%
Persistent absence
345
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Cedars Primary School
Questions parents ask about Cedars Primary School
What are SATs results like at Cedars Primary School?
Of the pupils at Cedars Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 83% reached the expected standard in reading and 93% did so in maths.
What is Cedars Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Cedars Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in November 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Cedars Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Cedars Primary School is oversubscribed, Blackburn with Darwen allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Cedars Primary School?
Cedars Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 89% of its 420 places.
How big are the classes at Cedars Primary School?
Classes at Cedars Primary School average 27.6 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Cedars Primary School?
Cedars Primary School has around 407 pupils on roll. 19% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Cedars Primary School?
6.2% of sessions were missed at Cedars Primary School in 2024/25. 15.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Cedars Primary School?
Apply through Blackburn with Darwen's coordinated admissions process, naming Cedars Primary School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does Cedars Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Cedars Primary School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school.
How many road collisions happen near Cedars Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 26 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 7 serious and 19 slight. 7 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 5 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise. 5 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Blackburn with Darwen is 24 (the median across 89 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Cedars Primary School?
Cedars Primary School is at St. James's Road, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB1 8HQ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)