The Heights Blackburn, Blackburn
The Heights Blackburn is an all-through school for pupils aged 5 to 16 in Blackburn, part of Education Partnership Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in February 2025 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Good (2014)
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
The Heights Blackburn in detail
The Heights Blackburn in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "The Heights is a Key Stage 2 - Key Stage 4 Alternative Provision School for young people, many of whom have found it difficult to be successful in a mainstream school. At Key Stage 2 & 3, the focus is on supporting young people to return to a mainstream school."
Headteacher's welcome (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at The Heights Blackburn
Across Blackburn with Darwen, 79% of families were offered their first-choice secondary school for 2026 entry, and 94% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2026, families in Blackburn with Darwen lodged 136 appeals against secondary school offers; 96 reached a hearing and 8 succeeded (8.3% of those heard).
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to The Heights Blackburn are St Bede's Roman Catholic High School, Blackburn (0.8 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 45.4); Darwen Vale High School (1.3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 39); St Wilfrid's Church of England Academy (1.4 miles, Good, Attainment 8 49.8); and Tauheedul Islam Boys' High School (1.4 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 62.6).
St Bede's Roman Catholic High School, BlackburnDarwen Vale High SchoolSt Wilfrid's Church of England AcademyTauheedul Islam Boys' High School
The trust
The Heights Blackburn is one of 9 schools run by Education Partnership Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 44.7 in 2024/25.
What parents say
12 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about The Heights Blackburn (as of September 2025): 100% 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 (92%).
Who goes there
50% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 0% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Almost every pupil at The Heights Blackburn has an education, health and care plan (2 of 2 in 2026). The most common need among them is autism.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Mill Hill (Lancs) Rail Station, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Bank Hey School (adjacent), 60 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood The Heights Blackburn stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 177 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Blackburn with Darwen (289).
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to The Heights Blackburn are Blackburn the Redeemer CofE Primary (0.4 miles), Meadowhead Junior School (0.5 miles), Meadowhead Community Infant School and Nursery (0.7 miles) and Longshaw Infant School (0.8 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Blackburn the Redeemer CofE PrimaryMeadowhead Junior SchoolMeadowhead Community Infant School and NurseryLongshaw Infant School
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from September 2014, 12 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's February 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This school excels at rebuilding pupils' confidence and love of learning. Staff are highly skilled at tailoring teaching to each pupil's individual needs while maintaining high expectations. The school provides a broad range of meaningful activities and trips that develop pupils' social skills, resilience and independence, preparing them exceptionally well for their future.
Key Strengths
- Creates a welcoming, caring atmosphere where pupils feel safe, valued and happy to learn
- Expertly adapts teaching to meet individual needs with high expectations, resulting in good achievement
- Strong reading support with rapid identification of struggling readers and targeted catch-up
- Excellent behaviour culture across the school with positive transitions between lessons
- Comprehensive career guidance and work-related learning that prepares pupils exceptionally well for their next steps
Areas for Improvement
- Teachers need to make more timely checks on what pupils know and remember, particularly when pupils have been absent, so gaps in knowledge can be quickly spotted and addressed before moving to new learning
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with school leaders prioritising pupils' safety and wellbeing.
Extracurricular Activities
visits to music studio, escape room, salon facilities, outdoor experiences, work-related learning
The Heights Blackburn is an alternative provision school that has maintained good standards since its previous inspection. The school successfully helps pupils who have disengaged from education or been excluded to reconnect and progress toward mainstream school or post-16 education.
At a Glance
50.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
12 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 2 nearby all-through schools
Social & online
Keep up with The Heights Blackburn
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near The Heights Blackburn.
- School's Out Holiday Squad990m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to The Heights Blackburn from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. The Heights Blackburn 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
- 3
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 1 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on a bicycle.
2 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
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
1%
Available places
2 pupils
160 places
158 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Blackburn
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Blackburn
Across Blackburn with Darwen council
Places available
2,284
Applications
2,116
Got 1st preference
78.9%
Got preferred school
94.1%
All secondary applications across Blackburn with Darwen council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
2
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
2
Total Pupils
2
Boys
0
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
19
Teachers
0.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£54,946
Mean salary
2026 data
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
The Heights Blackburn
Showing 10 of 15 linked schools
Questions parents ask about The Heights Blackburn
What is The Heights Blackburn's Ofsted rating?
The Heights Blackburn's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in September 2014, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for The Heights Blackburn?
No fixed boundary. When The Heights Blackburn is oversubscribed, Blackburn with Darwen allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to The Heights Blackburn?
The Heights Blackburn has around 2 pupils on roll. 50% are eligible for free school meals.
How do I apply to The Heights Blackburn?
Apply through Blackburn with Darwen's coordinated admissions process, naming The Heights Blackburn on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
Does The Heights Blackburn have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of The Heights Blackburn: School's Out Holiday Squad (990m 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 The Heights Blackburn?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 1 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on a bicycle. 2 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 The Heights Blackburn?
The Heights Blackburn is at Heys Lane, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB2 4NW.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)