Blackburn St Thomas' Church of England Primary School
Newton Street, Blackburn, BB1 1NE
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Miss Yusra Arshad
- Diocese
- Diocese of Blackburn
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Blackburn
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 420
- Pupils on roll
- 464
- URN
- 119355
- Local authority
- Blackburn with Darwen
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 0125454706
About this school
Blackburn St Thomas' Church of England Primary School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Blackburn. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 464 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 29 February 2024, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 60 | 61 | 60 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 52% | 72% | 72% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 2% | 3% | 5% |
| Expected standard in reading | 53% | 77% | 78% |
| Expected standard in maths | 72% | 90% | 87% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 78% | 90% | 80% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 102.0 | 105.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 103.0 | 107.0 | 107.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +3.80 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.30 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Blackburn St Thomas' Church of England Primary School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Blackburn with Darwen average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 52% | 57.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 72% | 57.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 72% | 60.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 458 |
| 2023/24 | 456 |
| 2024/25 | 459 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Blackburn St Thomas' Church of England Primary School compares
Blackburn St Thomas' Church of England Primary School ranked 12th of 51 primary schools in Blackburn with Darwen for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 71% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 33% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 72% | 6.3% | 23.3% | 464 | — |
| St Matthew's Church of England Primary School | 53% | 4.6% | 31% | 258 | 0.4 miles |
| Audley Junior School | 73% | 4.9% | 30.9% | 392 | 0.4 miles |
| Audley Infant School | — | 5.5% | 16% | 280 | 0.4 miles |
| St Alban's Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn | 62% | 6.6% | 43.6% | 154 | 0.6 miles |
| Daisyfield Primary School | 78% | 4.8% | 17.7% | 292 | 0.6 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 23.26%
- English as an additional language
- 66%
- Overall absence
- 6.32%
- Persistent absence
- 13.78%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Matthew's Church of England Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Blackburn
-
Audley Junior School0.4 miles
Primary · Blackburn
-
Audley Infant School0.4 miles
Primary · Blackburn
-
St Alban's Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn0.6 miles
Primary · Blackburn
-
Daisyfield Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Blackburn
Other schools in Blackburn
Blackburn St Thomas' Church of England Primary School ranks 14th of the 49 ranked primary schools in Blackburn.
- Audley Infant School Primary
- Audley Junior School Primary
- Balderstone St Leonard's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Primary
- Belthorn Academy Primary School Primary
- Blackburn the Redeemer CofE Primary Primary
- Brookhouse Primary School Primary
- Cedars Primary School Primary
- Daisyfield Primary School Primary
- Feniscowles Primary School Primary
- Great Harwood Primary School Primary
- Great Harwood St Bartholomew's Parish Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Primary
- Great Harwood St John's Church of England Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Blackburn St Thomas' Church of England Primary School teach?
- Blackburn St Thomas' Church of England Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Blackburn.
- Who is the headteacher of Blackburn St Thomas' Church of England Primary School?
- The headteacher of Blackburn St Thomas' Church of England Primary School is Miss Yusra Arshad, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Blackburn St Thomas' Church of England Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Blackburn St Thomas' Church of England Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is Blackburn St Thomas' Church of England Primary School?
- Blackburn St Thomas' Church of England Primary School has 464 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Blackburn St Thomas' Church of England Primary School full?
- Blackburn St Thomas' Church of England Primary School has capacity for 420 pupils and 464 on roll (110%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Blackburn St Thomas' Church of England Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Blackburn St Thomas' Church of England Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Blackburn.
- Does Blackburn St Thomas' Church of England Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Blackburn St Thomas' Church of England Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have Blackburn St Thomas' Church of England Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 52% in 2022/23 and 72% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Blackburn St Thomas' Church of England Primary School rank locally?
- Blackburn St Thomas' Church of England Primary School ranked 12th of 51 primary schools in Blackburn with Darwen for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 71% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 33% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Blackburn St Thomas' Church of England Primary School's absence rate?
- Blackburn St Thomas' Church of England Primary School's overall absence rate is 6.3% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Blackburn St Thomas' Church of England Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Blackburn St Thomas' Church of England Primary School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 30 June 2026.