Cedars Primary School

About Cedars Primary School

Cedars Primary School in Blackburn with Darwen holds a Good rating from Ofsted, a grade it has maintained across its two most recent inspections, including an ungraded visit in 2025 where inspectors confirmed standards were being maintained. The school’s most telling academic metric is its Key Stage 2 combined reading, writing and maths expected standard, which sits at 75% of pupils. That is well above the local authority average of 59% for primary schools, placing Cedars in the top 25% of schools nationally for this measure. In fact, the school ranks 9th out of 52 primary schools in Blackburn with Darwen, putting it in the top 20% of the local area. The data also shows that 18% of pupils reached the higher standard in all three subjects, while individual subject scores are solid: an average reading score of 106 and an average maths score of 108.

Looking more closely at the breakdown, 82% of pupils met the expected standard in maths, 79% in reading, and 80% in writing. The higher-standard figures are 48% in maths, 32% in reading, and 27% in writing, which suggests maths is a particular strength. Ofsted’s graded inspection in 2019 rated every category as Good, including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. The early years provision was also rated Good. Parent feedback is overwhelmingly positive: in the most recent Parent View survey, 100% of respondents said they would recommend the school, and 87% strongly agreed that their child is happy there. No parents disagreed with any of the 13 questions asked, and on questions about safety, behaviour, and communication, strong agreement was consistently above 70%.

Cedars is a three-to-eleven mixed primary school with nursery provision, currently home to 416 pupils against a capacity of 420. It is oversubscribed: for the 2025/26 intake, there were 83 applications for 44 places, with 42 first-preference offers made. The school offers a broad range of facilities including a library, ICT suite, sensory room, art studios, and an outdoor playground. Sports provision covers netball, rounders, football, cricket, tennis, dance, and swimming, while clubs include coding, chess, eco club, science club, choir, and book club. SEND support is available for specific learning difficulties including dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, hearing impairment, and physical disability. With 16.5% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a diverse intake and suits families looking for a well-regarded local primary with strong academic outcomes and a wide extracurricular offer.

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