Lower Pastures, Nr Darwen
Data last updated 11 Sept 2026
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 7 months agoReport card - no overall grade (new Ofsted framework from Sep 2024)
Ofsted Insights
What This School Does Well
This is a welcoming, safe place where disadvantaged pupils flourish. Teachers know their pupils well and provide tailored support to help them overcome barriers to learning. Pupils develop valuable life skills, confidence and resilience during their time here, and learn to behave well and treat others with respect.
Key Strengths
- Effective safeguarding culture where pupils feel safe and secure
- Excellent support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, with staff making good use of outside agencies
- Strong emphasis on personal development and wellbeing, helping pupils build confidence and resilience
- Consistent behaviour management and rare incidents of bullying due to swift action by leaders
- Welcoming environment with well-established routines that help pupils settle quickly
Areas for Improvement
- Many pupils struggle with reading due to gaps in phonics knowledge that teachers don't identify effectively enough
- Handwriting and spelling skills are not developed well enough, making it hard for pupils to express their ideas in writing
- Careers education is underdeveloped, leaving pupils unsure about steps needed to achieve their aspirations
- Academic progress through the curriculum is slower than it could be, with inconsistent identification of knowledge gaps
- School leadership workload is unsustainable, affecting the quality of oversight
Safeguarding
Safeguarding standards are met with an open and positive culture of safeguarding where all legal requirements are met and pupils feel safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Cooking, budgeting, laundry skills, physical activity, democratic school council meetings
Lower Pastures is a specialist school for disadvantaged pupils, many with special educational needs. While pupils develop confidence and strong social skills, the school needs to improve pupils' academic progress and career preparation.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
0.0
Avg class size
0
Total classes
2024/25 academic year
Getting There
Bus Stops
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
60%
Available places
3 pupils
5 capacity
2 spare places available
Area Demand Pressure - Nr Darwen
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Nr Darwen
Admissions Demand - Blackburn with Darwen
Places available
2,291
Applications
2,109
Got 1st preference
82.0%
Got preferred school
95.4%
Secondary admissions across Blackburn with Darwen (2025/26)
Inspection History(4)
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.
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Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Lower Pastures
Nearby Schools
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