St Wilfrid's Church of England Academy
Duckworth Street, Blackburn, BB2 2JR
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- ST WILFRID'S CHURCH OF ENGLAND ACADEMY
- Principal
- Mrs Victoria Michael
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Diocese
- Diocese of Blackburn
- SEN provision
- HI - Hearing Impairment
- Constituency
- Blackburn
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,630
- Pupils on roll
- 1,483
- URN
- 136900
- Local authority
- Blackburn with Darwen
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01254604000
About this school
St Wilfrid's Church of England Academy is a Church of England secondary academy in Blackburn. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,483 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 11 January 2023, 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 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 253 | 254 | 247 |
| Attainment 8 score | 51.3 | 50.5 | 50.8 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.21 +0.03 to +0.39 | +0.19 +0.01 to +0.36 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 56% | 55.5% | 53.4% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 78% | 74% | 71.7% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 45% | 51.6% | 8.1% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.2 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How St Wilfrid's Church of England Academy 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 | 51.3 | 43.5 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 50.5 | 43.4 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 50.8 | 44.5 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 8.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,500 |
| 2023/24 | 1,482 |
| 2024/25 | 1,489 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Wilfrid's Church of England Academy compares
St Wilfrid's Church of England Academy ranked 3rd of 12 secondary schools in Blackburn with Darwen for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 78% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 24% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 50.8 | 7.1% | 23.8% | 1,483 | — |
| Tauheedul Islam Boys' High School | 62.5 | 2.5% | 17.3% | 746 | 0.2 miles |
| Witton Park Academy | 40.3 | 9.2% | 39.5% | 1,243 | 0.7 miles |
| Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School | 47 | 8% | 20.8% | 873 | 0.7 miles |
| Blackburn Central High School | 41 | 8% | 41% | 1,015 | 1.0 miles |
| Tauheedul Islam Girls' High School | 72.3 | 3% | 14% | 866 | 1.1 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)
- 23.8%
- English as an additional language
- 19.1%
- Overall absence
- 7.12%
- Persistent absence
- 19.15%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Tauheedul Islam Boys' High School0.2 miles
Secondary · Blackburn
-
Witton Park Academy0.7 miles
Secondary · Blackburn
-
Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School0.7 miles
Secondary · Blackburn
-
Blackburn Central High School1.0 miles
Secondary · Blackburn
-
Tauheedul Islam Girls' High School1.1 miles
Secondary · Blackburn
Other schools in Blackburn
St Wilfrid's Church of England Academy ranks 3rd of the 10 ranked secondary schools in Blackburn.
- Blackburn Central High School Secondary
- Our Lady and St John RC High School, a Voluntary Academy Secondary
- Pleckgate High School Secondary
- Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School Secondary
- St Bede's Roman Catholic High School, Blackburn Secondary
- Tauheedul Islam Boys' High School Secondary
- Tauheedul Islam Girls' High School Secondary
- The Hyndburn Academy Secondary
- Witton Park Academy Secondary
- Ashworth Nursery School Nursery
- Brunel Nursery School Nursery
- Longshaw Nursery School Nursery
Common questions
- What year groups does St Wilfrid's Church of England Academy teach?
- St Wilfrid's Church of England Academy teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Blackburn.
- Who is the principal of St Wilfrid's Church of England Academy?
- The principal of St Wilfrid's Church of England Academy is Mrs Victoria Michael, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Wilfrid's Church of England Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Wilfrid's Church of England Academy, 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 Wilfrid's Church of England Academy?
- St Wilfrid's Church of England Academy has 1,483 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is St Wilfrid's Church of England Academy full?
- St Wilfrid's Church of England Academy has capacity for 1,630 pupils and 1,483 on roll (91%), so it has space against 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 Wilfrid's Church of England Academy a faith school?
- Yes. St Wilfrid's Church of England Academy is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Blackburn.
- Is St Wilfrid's Church of England Academy a selective school?
- No. St Wilfrid's Church of England Academy is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Who runs St Wilfrid's Church of England Academy?
- St Wilfrid's Church of England Academy is part of ST WILFRID'S CHURCH OF ENGLAND ACADEMY. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What SEN provision does St Wilfrid's Church of England Academy have?
- The schools register lists St Wilfrid's Church of England Academy's special educational needs provision as: HI - Hearing Impairment. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have St Wilfrid's Church of England Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 51.3 in 2022/23 and 50.8 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 Wilfrid's Church of England Academy rank locally?
- St Wilfrid's Church of England Academy ranked 3rd of 12 secondary schools in Blackburn with Darwen for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 78% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 24% 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 Wilfrid's Church of England Academy's absence rate?
- St Wilfrid's Church of England Academy's overall absence rate is 7.1% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Wilfrid's Church of England Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Wilfrid's Church of England Academy'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 1 July 2026.