St Barnabas and St Paul's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
Oakenhurst Road, Blackburn, BB2 1SN
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Debbie Withey
- Diocese
- Diocese of Blackburn
- Constituency
- Blackburn
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 420
- Pupils on roll
- 419
- URN
- 119499
- Local authority
- Blackburn with Darwen
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01254698413
About this school
St Barnabas and St Paul's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Blackburn. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 419 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
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Outstanding
- Safeguarding
- Effective
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 | 60 | 60 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 63% | 73% | 70% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 8% | 5% | 7% |
| Expected standard in reading | 68% | 80% | 82% |
| Expected standard in maths | 78% | 83% | 85% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 77% | 87% | 88% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 105.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 104.0 | 107.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +2.90 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +0.60 | - | - |
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 St Barnabas and St Paul's Church of England Voluntary Aided 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 | 63% | 57.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 73% | 57.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 70% | 60.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 3.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 420 |
| 2023/24 | 418 |
| 2024/25 | 421 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Barnabas and St Paul's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School compares
St Barnabas and St Paul's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School ranked 14th of 51 primary schools in Blackburn with Darwen for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 66% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 89% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 70% | 3.7% | 32.1% | 419 | — |
| St Anne's Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn | 59% | 4.7% | 35.2% | 214 | 0.3 miles |
| Queen Elizabeth's Primary School | 45% | 5.7% | 17.3% | 387 | 0.4 miles |
| St Luke and St Philips Church of England Primary School | 46% | 6.3% | 55.4% | 202 | 0.5 miles |
| St Silas's CofE Primary School | 59% | 6.1% | 28.5% | 311 | 0.6 miles |
| Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn | 60% | 6% | 23.9% | 173 | 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.
Inspection history
- 2 July 2024
-
Ungraded inspection report23 February 2023
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 32.07%
- English as an additional language
- 94.5%
- Overall absence
- 3.7%
- Persistent absence
- 7.05%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Anne's Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn0.3 miles
Primary · Blackburn
-
Queen Elizabeth's Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Blackburn
-
St Luke and St Philips Church of England Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Blackburn
-
St Silas's CofE Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Blackburn
-
Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn0.6 miles
Primary · Blackburn
Other schools in Blackburn
St Barnabas and St Paul's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School ranks 18th 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 St Thomas' Church of England 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
Common questions
- What year groups does St Barnabas and St Paul's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School teach?
- St Barnabas and St Paul's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Blackburn.
- Who is the headteacher of St Barnabas and St Paul's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
- The headteacher of St Barnabas and St Paul's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is Mrs Debbie Withey, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Barnabas and St Paul's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Barnabas and St Paul's Church of England Voluntary Aided 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 St Barnabas and St Paul's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
- St Barnabas and St Paul's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School has 419 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is St Barnabas and St Paul's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School full?
- St Barnabas and St Paul's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School has capacity for 420 pupils and 419 on roll (100%), 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 St Barnabas and St Paul's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. St Barnabas and St Paul's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Blackburn.
- Does St Barnabas and St Paul's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records St Barnabas and St Paul's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have St Barnabas and St Paul's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 63% in 2022/23 and 70% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St Barnabas and St Paul's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School rank locally?
- St Barnabas and St Paul's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School ranked 14th of 51 primary schools in Blackburn with Darwen for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 66% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 89% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St Barnabas and St Paul's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's absence rate?
- St Barnabas and St Paul's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's overall absence rate is 3.7% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Barnabas and St Paul's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Barnabas and St Paul's Church of England Voluntary Aided 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.