St James' Church of England Primary School, Darwen
St James' Church of England Primary 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 2011. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in October 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 8th-highest of the 14 schools in Darwen with published results, and 12,028th of 14,452 across England. It was 93% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2011)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
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
St James' Church of England Primary School in detail
St James' Church of England Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "My name is Miss Tindall and it is both a privilege and a joy to serve as the Headteacher of this very special school. St. James' has been at the heart of my professional journey for almost a decade."
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:45am.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 68% of Year 6 pupils at St James' Church of England Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 61% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 74% and 76% in Blackburn with Darwen and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 93% in reading and 67% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at St James' Church of England Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 31 families put St James' Church of England Primary School as their first choice and 96 named it as one of their preferences, for 30 places offered. That is slightly more first choices than places. 3 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at St James' Church of England Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St James' Church of England Primary School are Lower Darwen Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 58% reading, 53% maths); Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn (0.6 miles, Good, 79% reading, 89% maths); Longshaw Infant School (0.8 miles, Good); and Longshaw Community Junior School (1 mile, Good, 77% reading, 78% maths).
St James' Church of England Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 3 schools.
Lower Darwen Primary SchoolOur Lady of Perpetual Succour Roman Catholic Primary School BlackburnLongshaw Infant SchoolLongshaw Community Junior School
What parents say
24 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St James' Church of England Primary School (as of September 2025): 96% 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 their child does well at the school (88%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Blackburn Rail Station, about 1.7 miles away in a straight line.
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St James Church (outside), 30 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 183 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and public order offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Blackburn with Darwen (289).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St James' Church of England Primary School issued 7 suspensions, 3.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St James' Church of England Primary School are Darwen Vale High School (0.6 miles); Blackburn Central High School (1.1 miles); and Our Lady and St John RC High School, a Voluntary Academy (1.3 miles).
Darwen Vale High SchoolBlackburn Central High SchoolOur Lady and St John RC High School, a Voluntary Academy
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; 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 2011, 14 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's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils, and children in the early years, love being members of this caring and friendly school. Their well-being is at the heart of all aspects of the school's work. Pupils know that staff are always there to talk to. They appreciate the many opportunities that they have to discuss their feelings, views and concerns. Through their roles as 'peer mentors', pupils help to look after the well-being of others at lunchtimes. Pupils unanimously said that the school is a happy and safe place to be.
Pupils behave well. They benefit from a calm and purposeful atmosphere in lessons and around the school. Pupils value the rewards that they receive in recognition of their positive learning behaviours. This includes having 'tea at three' with staff.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
Pupils, and children in the early years, access a rich and engaging curriculum. In the main, the school has identified the important knowledge that pupils should learn and has ordered this logically from the Reception class to Year 6. However, in some areas of the early years curriculum, this process is still being refined. In these aspects of learning, the knowledge that children should learn has not been identified precisely enough. This makes it difficult for the school to check that the curriculum in the early years is consistently building on what children know and can do.
The school identifies and meets the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities well. Staff attend training and work closely with a range of professionals to ensure that pupils receive effective, individualised support. The school ensures that adaptations to the delivery of the curriculum are made to enable pupils to progress well through the curriculum.
From Ofsted's October 2024 ungraded inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its November 2011 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
25.2%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
24 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 declined from 93% to 68% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 67% to 61% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 67% to 54% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
29.8
Avg class size
29.7
Infant (KS1)
30.0
KS2
5
Total classes
2 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with St James' Church of England Primary School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St James' Church of England Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St James' Church of England Primary 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
- 13
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 13 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 12 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt.
4 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 St James' Church of England Primary School
Will you get a place at St James' Church of England Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St James' Church of England Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St James' Church of England Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St James' Church of England Primary 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 St James' Church of England Primary 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
93%
Near capacity
195 pupils
210 places
15 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: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
27
SEN Support
12
EHC Plans
19.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
202
Total Pupils
98
Boys
104
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
9
Teachers
22.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,091
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,898
Per pupil
£1285k
Total funding
£70k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.3%
Overall absence
13.5%
Persistent absence
178
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
St James' Church of England Primary School
Questions parents ask about St James' Church of England Primary School
What are SATs results like at St James' Church of England Primary School?
Of the pupils at St James' Church of England Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 68% reached the expected standard in reading and 61% did so in maths.
What is St James' Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?
St James' Church of England Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in November 2011, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St James' Church of England Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When St James' Church of England Primary 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 St James' Church of England Primary School?
St James' Church of England Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 93% of its 210 places.
How big are the classes at St James' Church of England Primary School?
Classes at St James' Church of England Primary School average 29.8 pupils (2025/26). 2 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to St James' Church of England Primary School?
St James' Church of England Primary School has around 202 pupils on roll. 25% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St James' Church of England Primary School?
5.3% of sessions were missed at St James' Church of England Primary School in 2024/25. 13.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St James' Church of England Primary School?
Apply through Blackburn with Darwen's coordinated admissions process, naming St James' Church of England Primary 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.
How many road collisions happen near St James' Church of England Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 13 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 12 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt. 4 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 St James' Church of England Primary School?
St James' Church of England Primary School is at Off Stopes Brow, Lower Darwen, Darwen, Lancashire, BB3 0QP.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)