Darwen Aldridge Sudell Primary, Darwen

Ofsted's report card from its 17 March 2026 inspection grades Darwen Aldridge Sudell Primary on 7 areas: 3 expected standard and 4 needs attention. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "The action that leaders have taken to improve the poor attendance of pupils in previous years is working."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Leaders make sure that all pupils feel welcome at the school."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Leaders provide an effective and carefully crafted personal development programme for pupils."

Achievement - Needs attention. "Pupils' achievement is variable."

Curriculum and teaching - Needs attention. "Leaders have redesigned the curriculum in recent years to successfully address weaknesses that they identified."

Early years - Needs attention. "Leaders do not make sure that children in the early years are as well prepared as they could be for their transition into Year 1."

Leadership and governance - Needs attention. "Action taken by those responsible for governance in recent years has not resulted in the impact that they expect."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders at all levels should strengthen their understanding of how well pupils achieve across the curriculum. Those responsible for governance should take timely action to ensure that suitable support is provided when pupils are not achieving or attending as well as they should"; "Leaders should ensure that teachers check and address gaps in pupils' knowledge consistently well so that pupils are better prepared for their next stages of education. This is particularly important for pupils' foundational knowledge in reading and writing"; "Leaders should make sure that children in the early years develop accurate and correctly formed letters and numerals to prepare them more successfully for the curriculum in Year 1 and beyond"; "Leaders should ensure that all pupils develop regular attendance habits, especially pupils with special educational needs an/or disabilities and other disadvantaged pupils so that they achieve as well as they can".

In 2025, 68% of Year 6 pupils at Darwen Aldridge Sudell Primary reached the expected standard in reading and 82% 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 33% in reading and 63% in maths in 2024.

With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.

For September 2026 entry, 28 families put Darwen Aldridge Sudell Primary as their first choice and 48 named it as one of their preferences, for 29 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state primary schools to Darwen Aldridge Sudell Primary are Darwen St Peter's Church of England Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 50% reading, 62% maths); Darwen St James CofE Primary Academy (0.4 miles, Inadequate, 53% reading, 63% maths); Holy Trinity VC School (0.6 miles, Good, 76% reading, 67% maths); and St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School, Darwen (0.7 miles, Good, 87% reading, 83% maths).

Darwen Aldridge Sudell Primary's 2025 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.

Darwen Aldridge Sudell Primary is one of 9 schools run by Aldridge Education, an academy trust.

20 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Darwen Aldridge Sudell Primary (as of April 2026): 85% would recommend the school, 90% say their child is happy there and 60% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (90%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (60%).

50.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 26.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (56%), Asian (23%) and Black (6%).

In 2026, 49 pupils (29.3%) received SEN support and 6 (3.6%) 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.

The nearest railway station is Darwen Rail Station, about 500 metres away (roughly a 6-minute walk).

23 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Vernon Street (adjacent), 170 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Darwen Aldridge Sudell Primary stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 188 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Blackburn with Darwen (289).

In 2024/25, Darwen Aldridge Sudell Primary issued 4 suspensions, 2.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The secondary schools closest to Darwen Aldridge Sudell Primary are Darwen Aldridge Community Academy (0.3 miles), Aldridge UTC Darwen (0.6 miles) and Darwen Vale High School (1.4 miles).