St Antony's RC Primary School
Shadsworth Road, Blackburn, BB1 2HP
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Headteacher
- Mrs Heather McGowan
- Diocese
- Diocese of Salford
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Blackburn
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 236
- URN
- 119516
- Local authority
- Blackburn with Darwen
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 0125454686
About this school
St Antony's RC Primary School is a Roman Catholic voluntary aided primary school in Blackburn. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 236 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. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 13 November 2024, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. 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 | 30 | 30 | 30 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 53% | 63% | 50% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 10% | 7% |
| Expected standard in reading | 80% | 93% | 83% |
| Expected standard in maths | 77% | 83% | 77% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 77% | 73% | 90% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 107.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 103.0 | 105.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.80 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -2.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.50 | - | - |
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 Antony's RC 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 | 53% | 57.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 63% | 57.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 50% | 60.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 226 |
| 2023/24 | 229 |
| 2024/25 | 221 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Antony's RC Primary School compares
St Antony's RC Primary School ranked 39th of 51 primary schools in Blackburn with Darwen for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 21% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 71% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 50% | 4.5% | 45.5% | 236 | — |
| Shadsworth Infant School | — | 8.1% | 49.2% | 196 | 0.3 miles |
| Shadsworth Junior School | 60% | 7.1% | 60.4% | 215 | 0.3 miles |
| Blackburn St Thomas' Church of England Primary School | 72% | 6.3% | 23.3% | 464 | 0.6 miles |
| Audley Junior School | 73% | 4.9% | 30.9% | 392 | 0.6 miles |
| Audley Infant School | — | 5.5% | 16% | 280 | 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)
- 45.45%
- English as an additional language
- 34.8%
- Overall absence
- 4.51%
- Persistent absence
- 10%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Shadsworth Infant School0.3 miles
Primary · Blackburn
-
Shadsworth Junior School0.3 miles
Primary · Arran Avenue
-
Blackburn St Thomas' Church of England Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Blackburn
-
Audley Junior School0.6 miles
Primary · Blackburn
-
Audley Infant School0.6 miles
Primary · Blackburn
Other schools in Blackburn
St Antony's RC Primary School ranks 42nd 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 Antony's RC Primary School teach?
- St Antony's RC Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Blackburn.
- Who is the headteacher of St Antony's RC Primary School?
- The headteacher of St Antony's RC Primary School is Mrs Heather McGowan, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Antony's RC Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Antony's RC 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 Antony's RC Primary School?
- St Antony's RC Primary School has 236 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is St Antony's RC Primary School full?
- St Antony's RC Primary School has capacity for 210 pupils and 236 on roll (112%), 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 Antony's RC Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. St Antony's RC Primary School is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Salford.
- Does St Antony's RC Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Antony's RC Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have St Antony's RC Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 53% in 2022/23 and 50% 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 Antony's RC Primary School rank locally?
- St Antony's RC Primary School ranked 39th of 51 primary schools in Blackburn with Darwen for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 21% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 71% 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 Antony's RC Primary School's absence rate?
- St Antony's RC Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Antony's RC Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Antony's RC 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.