St Alban's Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn

About St Alban's Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn

St Alban's Roman Catholic Primary School in Blackburn sits well below the local authority average for Key Stage 2 outcomes, with only 45% of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a borough average of 59%. This places the school 39th out of 52 primary schools in Blackburn with Darwen, putting it in the bottom half of the local league table. Nationally, it ranks in the 85th percentile, meaning roughly 85% of primary schools in England achieve a higher proportion of pupils at the expected level. The school's ranking score of 45 is notably lower than the top-performing local peers, such as The Olive School, Blackburn, which scores 95. However, these headline figures need to be read alongside the school's high level of disadvantage: 38.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the national average, and this context is likely reflected in the attainment data.

The school's most recent Ofsted inspection in September 2024 judged it Good across all areas, including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. This represents a significant improvement from its previous graded inspection in November 2022, when it was rated Requires Improvement overall, with quality of education, leadership and management, and early years provision all graded as Requires Improvement. The turnaround is notable, with all categories now at Good. In terms of individual subject scores at Key Stage 2, the average scaled scores for reading and maths both sit at 100, exactly the national benchmark. The proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard in maths and writing is 62% each, while reading is lower at 52%. Only 3% of pupils achieved a higher standard in maths, and none did so in reading, writing, or the combined measure.

The school is oversubscribed for 2025/26, with 27 applications for just 9 places, and all 9 first-preference applicants were offered a place, giving a first-preference success rate of 100% for those who listed it first. The oversubscription ratio of 3:1 suggests strong local demand. Facilities include a library, ICT suite, gymnasium, outdoor playground, forest school, dining hall, and chapel, reflecting its Roman Catholic character. The school offers nursery provision for children aged 3 and above. SEND support covers specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. Extracurricular activities include drama, book club, coding, and sports such as cross country, gymnastics, football, and cricket. This is a small primary school with 169 pupils against a capacity of 210, so class sizes are likely to be relatively small, which may appeal to families seeking a close-knit, faith-based setting in Blackburn.

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