Knuzden St Oswald's Church of England Primary Academy, Blackburn

Primary
Academy converter
Mixed
Church of England
Ages 411

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~605m)Possible (~864m)Unlikely (~1.1km)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Marie Mensah
Pupils:150 / 210 capacity
LA:Lancashire
Phone:01254667222
Address:Mount St James, Stanhill Road, Blackburn, BB1 2DR
Trust:CIDARI EDUCATION LIMITED
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open
Opened:1 April 2023

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 8 months ago

Report card - no overall grade (new Ofsted framework from Sep 2024)

Achievement
Expected Standard
Behaviour
Expected Standard
Personal Development
Expected Standard
Leadership
Expected Standard
Early Years
Expected Standard
Inspected 20 January 2026View full report
URN:149624
UKPRN:10092107
Diocese:Diocese of Blackburn
Constituency:Hyndburn
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

The school excels at creating a warm, caring environment where pupils feel known and belong. Staff build strong relationships with children from the earliest years and respond effectively to behaviour issues including bullying. The school provides excellent support for pupils with additional needs and thoughtfully uses pupil premium funding to ensure disadvantaged pupils can access enrichment activities, clubs and trips alongside their peers.

Key Strengths

  • Pupils feel safe, well cared for and have warm relationships with staff
  • Behaviour is calm and orderly with effective responses to bullying and discrimination
  • Strong support for pupils with SEND including sensory room provision and staff training
  • Good attendance broadly in line with national figures
  • Rich enrichment opportunities including clubs such as forest den building, chess, drawing and film

Areas for Improvement

  • Too many pupils, particularly disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, have not achieved well in reading, writing and mathematics
  • Many pupils lack essential knowledge in handwriting, spelling and number facts which holds back their learning
  • Teaching does not consistently check for gaps in knowledge or identify mistakes quickly enough
  • Early years children do not learn to read and write well enough and many are not ready for Year 1
  • Leaders do not check closely enough whether their improvements are actually making a real difference to pupil outcomes

Safeguarding

Safeguarding standards are met - leaders have established an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and pupils are made safer and feel safe.

Extracurricular Activities

forest den building, chess, drawing, film, construction, school council

Knuzden St Oswald's Church of England Primary Academy is a school where pupils feel safe and cared for, with positive relationships between staff and students. However, achievement in reading, writing and mathematics has not improved sufficiently, with particular concerns about disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.

At a Glance

30.7%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading-9ppMaths+4ppWriting-13pp

Reading has declined from 68% to 59%. Maths has improved from 46% to 50%. Writing has declined from 68% to 55%.

Class Sizes

23.1

Avg class size

18.7

Infant (KS1)

26.5

KS2

7

Total classes

1 class with more than 30 pupils

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Bus Stops

Moss Lane (by)
69m · 1 min walk
Cabin End Row (by)
236m · 4 min walk
Cambridge Drive (by)
252m · 4 min walk
The Knuzden Brook (by)
465m · 8 min walk
Windsor Road (by)
517m · 8 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

71%

Available places

150 pupils

210 capacity

60 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Blackburn

Low pressure
New homes approved:2,773
Projected new pupils:693

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Blackburn

Admissions Demand - Lancashire

Low demand0.77x oversubscription

Places available

15,664

Applications

12,136

Got 1st preference

93.0%

Got preferred school

98.8%

Primary admissions across Lancashire (2025/26)

Inspection History(2)

20 January 2026Report card
Achievement
Behaviour
Personal Development
Leadership
Early Years
5 April 2023

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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.

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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.

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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.

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School Funding

Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

5.65172%

Overall absence

16.3522%

Persistent absence

159

Enrolments

Authorised3.1023%
Unauthorised2.54942%
Persistent (10%+)16.3522%
Severe (50%+)1.88679%

Absence trend

7.10916%
23/24
5.65172%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

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