St James' Church of England Primary School, Darwen

Good
Primary
Voluntary aided school
Mixed
Church of England
Ages 411

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~671m)Possible (~958m)Unlikely (~1.2km)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Miss Melissa Tindall
Pupils:202 / 210 capacity
LA:Blackburn with Darwen
Phone:01254698656
Address:Off Stopes Brow, Lower Darwen, Darwen, BB3 0QP
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 2 years ago
-

Overall

Good

Quality of Education

Good

Behaviour & Attitudes

Good

Personal Development

Good

Leadership & Management

Good

Early Years

Inspected 29 October 2024View full report
URN:119503
UKPRN:10080243
Diocese:Diocese of Blackburn
Constituency:Rossendale and Darwen
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

Ofsted rated this school Good at its November 2011 inspection — unchanged since its previous inspection.

Rated Good for

Leadership & management.

A plain-English summary of the full inspection report is coming soon.

At a Glance

25.2%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

What Parents Think

24 responses
Would recommend96%
Child is happy100%
Well taught88%
Good progress92%
Feels safe100%
Well behaved92%
Bullying dealt with8%
Kept informed88%
Handles concerns63%
Wider development92%

Source: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading-25ppMaths-6ppWriting-13pp

Reading has declined from 93% to 68%. Maths has declined from 67% to 61%. Writing has declined from 67% to 54%.

Class Sizes

27.3

Avg class size

27.7

Infant (KS1)

27.0

KS2

7

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

Latest from St James' Church of England Primary School

From St James' Church of England Primary School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.

Social & online

Getting There

Bus Stops

St James Church (o/s)
27m · 0 min walk
Pickering Fold (by)
207m · 3 min walk
New Meadow Close (opp)
209m · 3 min walk
Newfield Drive (by)
276m · 4 min walk
Industrial Estate (by)
334m · 5 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

96%

Near capacity

202 pupils

210 capacity

8 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Darwen

Low pressure
New homes approved:477
Projected new pupils:119

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Darwen

Admissions Demand - Blackburn with Darwen

Low demand0.79x oversubscription

Places available

2,356

Applications

1,866

Got 1st preference

90.9%

Got preferred school

98.3%

Primary admissions across Blackburn with Darwen (2025/26)

Inspection History(7)

29 October 2024
Quality of EducationGood
Behaviour & AttitudesGood
Personal DevelopmentGood
Leadership & ManagementGood
Early YearsGood
25 September 2019
17 November 2015

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.

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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

5.25063%

Overall absence

13.48315%

Persistent absence

178

Enrolments

Authorised3.94432%
Unauthorised1.30631%
Persistent (10%+)13.48315%
Severe (50%+)1.68539%

Absence trend

4.59694%
18/19
6.80084%
20/21
6.95528%
21/22
6.04104%
22/23
6.19212%
23/24
5.25063%
24/25
Overall absence rate

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

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