St Gabriel's Church of England Primary School

About St Gabriel's Church of England Primary School

St Gabriel's Church of England Primary School is performing well above the local average for its type, with 81% of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined at Key Stage 2, compared to a Blackburn with Darwen average of 59%. That 22 percentage point gap is significant, and it places the school second out of 52 primaries in the local authority, comfortably in the top 10% nationally. The school is also heavily oversubscribed — 103 applications for 30 places in the 2025/26 admissions round, with a ratio of 3.43 applicants per place — which suggests local families recognise the strong outcomes. It’s worth noting that while the school’s overall Ofsted rating dropped from Outstanding to Good in its most recent inspection in 2024, the early years provision remains Outstanding, and the leadership and management, behaviour and attitudes, and personal development were all rated Good.

Digging into the KS2 results, the school’s strengths are spread across the three core subjects. In maths, 90% of pupils met the expected standard and 35% reached the higher standard, with an average scaled score of 107. Reading saw 84% at expected and 32% at higher, with an average score of 106. Writing was slightly lower for higher attainment at 16%, but still 84% met the expected standard. The combined expected figure of 81% is well above the national average and puts the school in the top 10% of all primaries nationally. Compared with its previous Outstanding inspection in 2013, the school has maintained strong academic performance even as the overall rating has adjusted. There are no progress scores available in the data, so it’s not possible to say how much value the school adds relative to starting points, but the raw attainment figures are clearly very strong for the area.

The school is a Church of England primary with a capacity of 210 pupils and currently has 213 on roll, so it is running slightly over capacity. Facilities include a gymnasium, music rooms, a sensory room, a chapel, and a library, plus an outdoor playground. Sports on offer include football, netball, cricket, swimming and dance, and there are clubs such as chess, film club, choir and coding. The school has identified SEND provisions for specific learning difficulties including dyslexia, speech, language and communication needs, social and emotional mental health needs, and physical disabilities. For families prioritising strong academic outcomes in a faith-based setting within Blackburn with Darwen, St Gabriel’s is clearly a popular choice — the oversubscription figures speak for themselves. It is not a nursery or boarding school, and has no sixth form.

Key Details

Frequently Asked Questions About St Gabriel's Church of England Primary School

Helpful Guides for Parents