Ashleigh Primary School

About Ashleigh Primary School

Ashleigh Primary School sits within the Blackburn with Darwen local authority, where it ranks 10th out of 52 primary schools based on the proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard in reading, writing and maths. That places it comfortably in the top quarter of schools locally. The top-performing peers in the area are The Olive School, Blackburn, followed by Blackburn the Redeemer CofE Primary and St Gabriel's Church of England Primary School, all of which score higher on the same metric. For families looking at the broader landscape, the nearest school rated Outstanding by Ofsted is Hoddlesden St Paul's Church of England Primary School, about 2.8 kilometres away. Ashleigh itself holds a Good rating from its most recent graded inspection in 2012, and an ungraded inspection in 2023 confirmed the school remains Good. Headteacher Ian Matthews leads a mixed, non-denominational state primary for 212 pupils aged 4 to 11, with capacity for 236.

Academically, Ashleigh performs well above the local average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, 74% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a Blackburn with Darwen average of 59%. That figure also places the school in the top 25% nationally, ranked 2,928 out of 13,686 primaries. Looking at individual subjects, 88% met the expected standard in maths, with an average score of 106, and 79% did so in reading, averaging 104. Higher-standard attainment is more modest: 6% achieved the higher standard across all three subjects, with 38% reaching that level in maths, 15% in reading and 18% in writing. Progress scores are not available in the data, so it is not possible to say how much value the school adds relative to pupils' starting points. The school has no sixth form or nursery provision.

The school is oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, there were 101 applications for 35 places, with 36 first-preference applications and 35 offers made, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.89. Facilities include a Forest School, ICT suite, sports hall and dining hall. Sports on offer are football, cross country, gymnastics, netball and cricket, while clubs include Film Club, Eco Club, Art Club and Choir. SEND provision covers specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, speech, language and communication needs, visual impairment, autistic spectrum disorder and other difficulties. This is a solid, well-regarded local primary that suits families who want above-average academic outcomes without the pressure of a selective or faith-based school, and who value outdoor learning and a broad extracurricular offer.

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