Darwen Aldridge Sudell Primary, Darwen
Data last updated 11 Sept 2026
Location
Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Overall
Ofsted Insights
What This School Does Well
This is a calm, welcoming school where pupils feel safe and behave well. The staff know the children well and provide good support for those facing challenges in their lives. Leaders have made real improvements to attendance and have created an ambitious new curriculum that is helping to turn the school around.
Key Strengths
- Safeguarding is effective with an open culture where staff actively identify and manage concerns
- Attendance rates have improved significantly and are now in line with national averages
- Pupils behave well, are polite and respectful, with rare incidents of bullying
- Leaders have successfully redesigned the curriculum to be ambitious and well-organised
- School is welcoming and calm with well-established routines that help pupils feel safe
Areas for Improvement
- Pupil achievement is variable and attainment has been very low compared to other schools
- Teaching quality is inconsistent, with some pupils not getting enough practice to consolidate their learning
- Early reading and writing skills are not consistently secure, with some pupils lacking fluency
- Early years children are not well prepared for transition to Year 1, particularly in letter and number formation
- Governance needs to be stronger in challenging leaders and monitoring how well pupils are achieving
Safeguarding
Safeguarding standards are met - leaders have established an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified and managed.
Extracurricular Activities
trips, clubs, play leader roles, reading leader roles
Darwen Aldridge Sudell Primary is a welcoming school where pupils behave well and feel safe, with leaders focused on improving attendance and redesigning the curriculum. However, the school faces challenges in pupil achievement and ensuring consistent teaching quality across the school.
At a Glance
50.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2025/26KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 33% to 68%. Maths has improved from 63% to 82%. Writing has improved from 21% to 64%.
Class Sizes
22.9
Avg class size
22.3
Infant (KS1)
23.3
KS2
7
Total classes
2024/25 academic year
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
80%
Available places
167 pupils
210 capacity
43 spare places available
Area Demand Pressure - Darwen
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Darwen
Admissions Demand - Blackburn with Darwen
Places available
2,356
Applications
1,866
Got 1st preference
90.9%
Got preferred school
98.3%
Primary admissions across Blackburn with Darwen (2025/26)
Inspection History(14)
House Prices
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SEN Provision
How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.
Pupil Demographics
The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.
Teachers & Staff
Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.
School Funding
Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.86515%
Overall absence
31.28834%
Persistent absence
163
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
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Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Darwen Aldridge Sudell Primary
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