Shadsworth Infant School, Blackburn
Shadsworth Infant School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Blackburn. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in March 2025 did not change this grade. It was 90% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2015)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Blackburn with Darwen (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Shadsworth Infant School in detail
Shadsworth Infant School in its own words
The school runs a breakfast club.
Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Shadsworth Infant School
For September 2026 entry, 49 families put Shadsworth Infant School as their first choice and 81 named it as one of their preferences, for 58 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Shadsworth Infant School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Shadsworth Infant School are St Antony's RC Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 83% reading, 77% maths); Knuzden St Oswald's Church of England Primary Academy (0.4 miles, 59% reading, 50% maths); Shadsworth Junior School (0.4 miles, Good, 69% reading, 76% maths); and Intack Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 60% reading, 68% maths).
St Antony's RC Primary SchoolKnuzden St Oswald's Church of England Primary AcademyShadsworth Junior SchoolIntack Primary School
What parents say
14 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Shadsworth Infant School (as of September 2025): 79% would recommend the school, 93% say their child is happy there and 43% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (93%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (43%).
Who goes there
35.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 41 pupils (20.9%) received SEN support and 33 (16.8%) 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 social, emotional and mental health needs.
Shadsworth Infant School has a SEN unit for social, emotional and mental health needs: 10 places, 9 pupils on roll.
Staffing
Shadsworth Infant School had 13 teachers in 2026, one for every 13 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Blackburn Rail Station, about 1.4 miles away in a straight line.
14 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Tarbert Crescent (opposite), 90 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Shadsworth Infant School stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Shadsworth Infant School issued 16 suspensions, 7.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from June 2015, 11 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
Your child will be happy and excited to come to Shadsworth. The school does an outstanding job supporting children with additional needs and making reading fun and engaging. Staff care about every pupil and create a calm, orderly environment where children can focus and learn well.
Key Strengths
- Excellent support for pupils with SEND, particularly in the designated unit for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs - pupils are identified early and get effective support to help them learn
- Strong focus on reading with a love of books fostered through library visits, reading clubs, and creative activities like reading by torchlight
- Pupils are happy, settled and behave positively in lessons and around school
- Broad and balanced curriculum with trips and visits (museums, farms, beaches, airport) that give pupils experiences they might not otherwise have
- Well-trained staff who provide clear explanations and use effective strategies to check pupil progress
Areas for Improvement
- Some subjects and early years areas lack clearly identified important knowledge that pupils should learn, meaning teachers cannot always design the best learning activities and pupils have gaps in their knowledge
- Too many pupils have persistent absence from school, limiting their achievement and preventing them from accessing the wider enrichment experiences the school offers
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
Extracurricular Activities
Sewing club, sports clubs, book club, art club, library club, swimming, breakfast club, school council, librarians, well-being ambassadors
Shadsworth Infant School is a vibrant, happy school where pupils enjoy learning and benefit from a broad curriculum. The school is rated Good across all areas including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management.
At a Glance
35.2%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
SEN unit: SEMH
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
14 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
22.4
Avg class size
25.6
Infant (KS1)
7
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with Shadsworth Infant School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Shadsworth Infant School.
- School's Out Holiday Squad630m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Shadsworth Infant School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Shadsworth Infant 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
- 54
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 15
- Children hurt
- 7
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 54 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 15 serious and 39 slight.
7 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise.
15 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 Shadsworth Infant School
Will you get a place at Shadsworth Infant School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Shadsworth Infant School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Shadsworth Infant School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Shadsworth Infant 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 Shadsworth Infant 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
90%
Near capacity
170 pupils
189 places
19 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Blackburn
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Blackburn
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
41
SEN Support
33
EHC Plans
37.8%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Shadsworth Infant School has a SEN unit for social, emotional and mental health needs: 10 places, 9 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
196
Total Pupils
100
Boys
96
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
13
Teachers
15.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,702
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,754
Per pupil
£1333k
Total funding
£115k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
8.1%
Overall absence
30.8%
Persistent absence
133
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
Shadsworth Infant School
Questions parents ask about Shadsworth Infant School
What is Shadsworth Infant School's Ofsted rating?
Shadsworth Infant School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in June 2015, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Shadsworth Infant School?
No fixed boundary. When Shadsworth Infant 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 Shadsworth Infant School?
Shadsworth Infant School was not full in 2025: it ran at 90% of its 189 places.
How big are the classes at Shadsworth Infant School?
Classes at Shadsworth Infant School average 22.4 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Shadsworth Infant School?
Shadsworth Infant School has around 196 pupils on roll. 35% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Shadsworth Infant School have specialist SEN provision?
Shadsworth Infant School has a SEN unit for social, emotional and mental health needs: 10 places, 9 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Shadsworth Infant School?
8.1% of sessions were missed at Shadsworth Infant School in 2024/25. 30.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Shadsworth Infant School?
Apply through Blackburn with Darwen's coordinated admissions process, naming Shadsworth Infant 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 Shadsworth Infant School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Shadsworth Infant School: School's Out Holiday Squad (630m 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 Shadsworth Infant School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 54 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 15 serious and 39 slight. 7 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise. 15 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 Shadsworth Infant School?
Shadsworth Infant School is at Rothesay Road, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB1 2EL.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)