Darwen St James CofE Primary Academy

Primary
Academy
Ages 3 to 11

Ofsted judgements: Requires improvement to good

St James Crescent, Darwen, BB3 0EYOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)

Darwen St James CofE Primary Academy is a primary school in Darwen for ages 3 to 11. It is one of the 88 schools in Blackburn with Darwen. It ranks 13th of 14 primary schools in Darwen. Its latest Ofsted inspection, in July 2025, graded each key judgement and gave no overall Ofsted rating.

Ofsted inspection

Inspected 9 July 2025, report published 15 September 2025

This inspection graded each key judgement and gave no overall effectiveness grade.

Quality of education: Requires improvement
Behaviour and attitudes: Good
Personal development: Good
Leadership and management: Requires improvement
Early years provision: Good
Safeguarding: Met

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)

Exam results

SATs results (key stage 2), 2024/25

19 pupils took the tests

Expected standard in reading, writing and maths37%

37%, 25 percentage points below the England average of 62%.

Higher standard in reading, writing and maths0%

0%, 8 percentage points below the England average of 8%.

Reading, average scaled score99

99, 7 below the England average of 106.

Maths, average scaled score100

100, 5 below the England average of 105.

Grammar, punctuation and spelling, average scaled score99

99, 6 below the England average of 105.

Pupil numbers and mix

203 pupils on roll, with places for 265

Eligible for free school meals34%

34%, 7.5 percentage points above the England average of 26.5%.

English as an additional language34%

34%, 12.4 percentage points above the England average of 21.6%.

Special educational needs support18.7%

18.7%, 3.9 percentage points above the England average of 14.8%.

Education, health and care plan5.4%

5.4%, 0.6 percentage points below the England average of 6%.

Schools near Darwen St James CofE Primary Academy

School	Distance	Ofsted	Results
Darwen Aldridge Sudell Primary	0.4 miles	Report card: Needs attention to expected standard	64% met the expected standard
Holy Trinity VC School	0.5 miles	Ofsted judgements: Requires improvement to good	62% met the expected standard
Avondale Primary School	0.7 miles	Ofsted: Good	72% met the expected standard
Darwen St Peter's Church of England Primary School	0.7 miles	Report card: Expected standard to strong standard	43% met the expected standard
St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School, Darwen	0.9 miles	Ofsted: Good	70% met the expected standard

School details

School type: Academy converter
Sector: Academy
Trust: CIDARI EDUCATION LIMITED
Age range: 3 to 11
Gender: Mixed
Religious character: Church of England
Nursery classes: Yes
Headteacher: Miss Laura Peckson
Phone: 01254703260
Website: darwenstjames.co.uk (opens in a new tab)
Address: St James Crescent, Darwen, BB3 0EY
Local authority: Blackburn with Darwen
URN: 140891

School details from Get Information about Schools, 17 September 2026. Ofsted outcomes published to 31 August 2026. Exam results for 2024/25 from the Department for Education. Pupil mix from the school census, 2025/26.