St Matthew's Church of England Primary School, Blackburn
Data last updated 11 Sept 2026
Location
Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 8 months agoReport card - no overall grade (new Ofsted framework from Sep 2024)
Ofsted Insights
What This School Does Well
St Matthew's excels at creating a warm, welcoming environment where all pupils feel safe and confident. The school has successfully improved attendance and behaviour through consistent, high expectations and positive relationships. The diverse community is celebrated, with excellent inter-faith relationships, and pupils benefit from a wide range of enrichment activities including trips, workshops, and clubs that bring learning to life.
Key Strengths
- Strong safeguarding culture with open communication and effective pastoral relationships
- Improved attendance rates now in line with or above national averages
- Well-established behaviour system with clear expectations, high standards, and positive role modelling
- Broad programme of personal development with many enrichment activities, trips, and clubs
- Diverse, inclusive community with positive inter-faith relationships
Areas for Improvement
- Significant number of pupils in key stage 2 not achieving national average outcomes
- Too many children leaving Reception without secure foundations for Year 1
- Inconsistent delivery of early years curriculum with varied expectations across different areas of learning
- Slow identification and implementation of precise support for pupils with SEND and other barriers
- Lack of rigorous, rapid catch-up interventions for struggling readers
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
School choir performances, play leader roles, school council, science workshops, rock music workshops, castle trips, science centre visits, digital fitness band activity programme, charity coffee mornings, multiple clubs
St Matthew's is a vibrant, multi-cultural Church of England primary school that provides a warm, welcoming environment where pupils feel safe and enjoy learning. However, the school faces challenges with inconsistent achievement across key stages, particularly for vulnerable pupils and those learning English as an additional language.
At a Glance
39.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2025/26KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 67% to 61%. Maths has remained stable at around 61%. Writing has declined from 59% to 53%.
Class Sizes
24.6
Avg class size
11
Total classes
3 classes with more than 30 pupils
2024/25 academic year
Getting There
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
92%
Near capacity
258 pupils
280 capacity
22 spare places available
Area Demand Pressure - Blackburn
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Blackburn
Admissions Demand - Blackburn with Darwen
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(10)
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.
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.
School Funding
Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.56894%
Overall absence
6.04839%
Persistent absence
248
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
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Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
St Matthew's Church of England Primary School
Al Islah Girls' High School
Blackburn Central High School
Tauheedul Islam Boys' High School
Jamiatul-Ilm Wal-Huda UK School
Rawdhatul Ilm Wal Huda
Noorul Uloom
Markazul Uloom
Our Lady and St John RC High School, a Voluntary Academy
St Wilfrid's Church of England Academy
Newfield School
Showing 10 of 12 linked schools
Nearby Schools
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