Blackburn Central High School
Haslingden Road, Blackburn, BB2 3HJ
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- OAK LEARNING PARTNERSHIP
- Headteacher
- Mrs Nicola Power
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Sponsor
- Oak Learning Partnership
- Constituency
- Blackburn
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 900
- Pupils on roll
- 1,015
- URN
- 146936
- Local authority
- Blackburn with Darwen
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01254505700
About this school
Blackburn Central High School is a secondary academy in Blackburn. It teaches children aged 11 to 16 and has 1,015 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Blackburn Central High School, and its latest judgement is set out 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 14 December 2022, 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 | 173 | 172 | 176 |
| Attainment 8 score | 40.5 | 41.2 | 41.0 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.48 -0.69 to -0.26 | -0.20 -0.42 to +0.03 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 34% | 36.6% | 34.7% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 54% | 57.6% | 55.7% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 54% | 53.5% | 55.1% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.7 | 3.8 | 3.8 |
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 Blackburn Central High 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 | 40.5 | 43.5 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 41.2 | 43.4 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 41 | 44.5 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 10.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 9.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 921 |
| 2023/24 | 960 |
| 2024/25 | 984 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Blackburn Central High School compares
Blackburn Central High School ranked 8th of 12 secondary schools in Blackburn with Darwen for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 41% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 17% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 41 | 8% | 41% | 1,015 | — |
| Our Lady and St John RC High School, a Voluntary Academy | 37.2 | 13.8% | 47.7% | 770 | 0.7 miles |
| Tauheedul Islam Boys' High School | 62.5 | 2.5% | 17.3% | 746 | 0.8 miles |
| St Wilfrid's Church of England Academy | 50.8 | 7.1% | 23.8% | 1,483 | 1.0 miles |
| Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School | 47 | 8% | 20.8% | 873 | 1.5 miles |
| Darwen Vale High School | 43.1 | 10.2% | 33.2% | 1,039 | 1.6 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)
- 40.96%
- English as an additional language
- 53.9%
- Overall absence
- 7.95%
- Persistent absence
- 25.12%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Our Lady and St John RC High School, a Voluntary Academy0.7 miles
Secondary · Blackburn
-
Tauheedul Islam Boys' High School0.8 miles
Secondary · Blackburn
-
St Wilfrid's Church of England Academy1.0 miles
Secondary · Blackburn
-
Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School1.5 miles
Secondary · Blackburn
-
Darwen Vale High School1.6 miles
Secondary · Darwen
Other schools in Blackburn
Blackburn Central High School ranks 7th of the 10 ranked secondary schools in Blackburn.
- 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
- St Wilfrid's Church of England Academy 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 ages does Blackburn Central High School teach?
- Blackburn Central High School teaches children aged 11 to 16. It is a secondary school in Blackburn.
- Who is the headteacher of Blackburn Central High School?
- The headteacher of Blackburn Central High School is Mrs Nicola Power, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Blackburn Central High School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Blackburn Central High 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 many pupils are at Blackburn Central High School?
- Blackburn Central High School has 1,015 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 16.
- Is Blackburn Central High School full?
- Blackburn Central High School has capacity for 900 pupils and 1,015 on roll (113%), 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 Central High School a faith school?
- No. Blackburn Central High School has no designated religious character.
- Is Blackburn Central High School a selective school?
- No. Blackburn Central High School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is Blackburn Central High School part of an academy trust?
- Blackburn Central High School is part of OAK LEARNING PARTNERSHIP. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Blackburn Central High School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 40.5 in 2022/23 and 41 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 Central High School compare with other schools in Blackburn with Darwen?
- Blackburn Central High School ranked 8th of 12 secondary schools in Blackburn with Darwen for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 41% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 17% 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 Central High School's absence rate?
- Blackburn Central High School's overall absence rate is 8% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Blackburn Central High School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Blackburn Central High 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 10 July 2026.