Holy Trinity VC School, Darwen
Holy Trinity VC School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Darwen. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in March 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 7th-highest of the 14 schools in Darwen with published results, and 9,801st of 14,452 across England. It was 32% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Blackburn with Darwen (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Holy Trinity VC School in detail
Holy Trinity VC School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Welcome to Holy Trinity VC School, Darwen. Holy Trinity is a place of nurture and development that is built upon our three core values: Kindness, Effort and Respect."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, STEM and film.
The school runs a breakfast club.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 76% of Year 6 pupils at Holy Trinity VC School reached the expected standard in reading and 67% 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 50% in reading and 54% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Holy Trinity VC School
For September 2026 entry, 4 families put Holy Trinity VC School as their first choice and 27 named it as one of their preferences, for 4 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Holy Trinity VC School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Holy Trinity VC School are St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School, Darwen (0.4 miles, Good, 87% reading, 83% maths); Darwen St James CofE Primary Academy (0.5 miles, Inadequate, 53% reading, 63% maths); Darwen Aldridge Sudell Primary (0.6 miles, Good, 68% reading, 82% maths); and Darwen St Peter's Church of England Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 50% reading, 62% maths).
Holy Trinity VC School's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.
St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School, DarwenDarwen St James CofE Primary AcademyDarwen Aldridge Sudell PrimaryDarwen St Peter's Church of England Primary School
What parents say
11 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Holy Trinity VC School (as of September 2025): 91% 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 has high expectations for their child (82%).
Who goes there
47.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 32 pupils (26.9%) received SEN support and 12 (10.1%) 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 Darwen Rail Station, about 450 metres away (roughly a 6-minute walk).
24 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Circus (by), 130 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Holy Trinity VC School stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. On income deprivation affecting children it is in the 4th decile, where the 1st is the most deprived. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Holy Trinity VC School issued 12 suspensions, 9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Holy Trinity VC School are Aldridge UTC Darwen (0.1 miles), Darwen Aldridge Community Academy (0.3 miles) and Darwen Vale High School (1.4 miles).
Aldridge UTC DarwenDarwen Aldridge Community AcademyDarwen Vale High School
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
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
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's March 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Holy Trinity is a caring school where pupils feel valued and part of a close-knit community. The school excels at teaching early reading with most pupils becoming confident readers, and provides excellent support for pupils with special needs. Beyond academics, the school helps pupils thrive by offering a wide range of clubs, trips and opportunities to develop their talents while learning about their community.
Key Strengths
- Strong, warm relationships between staff and pupils with high emotional well-being support
- Early reading curriculum is well-embedded with most pupils becoming confident, fluent readers by the end of Key Stage 1
- Pupils with special educational needs and disabilities are cared for extremely well with appropriate support put in place quickly
- Wide range of clubs, trips and visits that enhance learning and develop pupils' talents and interests
- Pupils are confident, well-behaved in class and actively contribute to their community through charity work and local projects
Areas for Improvement
- Reading curriculum beyond phonics lacks clarity and organisation, meaning staff don't have clear guidance on what to teach
- School doesn't always have accurate information about how well pupils are learning, which slows progress
- Gaps in pupils' knowledge are not always addressed effectively before new learning is introduced
- Pupil attendance remains too high a concern, with too many pupils not attending regularly enough
- Behaviour at breaktimes is sometimes disruptive for other pupils
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
Extracurricular Activities
Film club, board games club, choir, sporting clubs, school council, peer mediators programme, fundraising activities, celebration days
Holy Trinity VC School is a primary school in Darwen where pupils feel proud, cared for and welcomed in a warm, nurturing community. However, the quality of education requires improvement as the school is still implementing curriculum changes and not all pupils are achieving as well as they could.
At a Glance
47.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
11 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 50% to 76% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 54% to 67% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 58% to 76% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
23.8
Avg class size
28.0
Infant (KS1)
27.0
KS2
5
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Holy Trinity VC School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Holy Trinity VC School.
- Kidsland Limited at St Joseph's Church Hall Darwen590m away · Not yet graded
- Butterflies Out Of School Experience710m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Holy Trinity VC School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Holy Trinity VC 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
- 46
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 15
- Children hurt
- 11
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 46 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 15 serious and 30 slight.
11 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 7 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise.
12 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 Holy Trinity VC School
Will you get a place at Holy Trinity VC School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Holy Trinity VC School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Holy Trinity VC School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Holy Trinity VC 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 Holy Trinity VC 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
32%
Available places
133 pupils
420 places
287 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Darwen
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Darwen
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)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
32
SEN Support
12
EHC Plans
37.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
119
Total Pupils
64
Boys
55
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
7
Teachers
17.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£47,762
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,974
Per pupil
£976k
Total funding
£97k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.0%
Overall absence
22.8%
Persistent absence
127
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
Holy Trinity VC School
Questions parents ask about Holy Trinity VC School
What are SATs results like at Holy Trinity VC School?
Of the pupils at Holy Trinity VC School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 76% reached the expected standard in reading and 67% did so in maths.
What is Holy Trinity VC School's Ofsted rating?
Holy Trinity VC School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 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 Holy Trinity VC School?
No fixed boundary. When Holy Trinity VC 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 Holy Trinity VC School?
Holy Trinity VC School was not full in 2025: it ran at 32% of its 420 places.
How big are the classes at Holy Trinity VC School?
Classes at Holy Trinity VC School average 23.8 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Holy Trinity VC School?
Holy Trinity VC School has around 119 pupils on roll. 48% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Holy Trinity VC School?
7% of sessions were missed at Holy Trinity VC School in 2024/25. 22.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Holy Trinity VC School?
Apply through Blackburn with Darwen's coordinated admissions process, naming Holy Trinity VC 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 Holy Trinity VC School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 2 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of Holy Trinity VC School: Kidsland Limited at St Joseph's Church Hall Darwen (590m away, registered, not yet graded) and Butterflies Out Of School Experience (710m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Holy Trinity VC School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 46 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 15 serious and 30 slight. 11 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 7 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise. 12 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 Holy Trinity VC School?
Holy Trinity VC School is at Bank Top, Darwen, Lancashire, BB3 2RW.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)