What year groups does St Edward's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy teach?

St Edward's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Darwen.

Who is the headteacher of St Edward's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy?

The headteacher of St Edward's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy is Mrs Vannessa Knowles, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.

When was St Edward's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy last inspected?

Ofsted has inspected St Edward's RC Primary School, a Voluntary 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 Edward's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy?

St Edward's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy has 198 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.

Is St Edward's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy a faith school?

Yes. St Edward's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Salford.

Who runs St Edward's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy?

St Edward's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy is part of ROMERO CATHOLIC ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.

What is St Edward's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy's absence rate?

St Edward's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy's overall absence rate is 4.5% in the latest published census.

What are St Edward's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy's exam results?

Where the Department for Education has published them, St Edward's RC Primary School, a Voluntary 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.

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Blackburn with Darwen
Darwen
St Edward's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy

St Edward's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy

Blackburn Road, Darwen, BB3 0AA

Phase: Primary
School type: Academy converter
Ages: 4 to 11
Gender: Mixed
Religious character: Roman Catholic
Trust: ROMERO CATHOLIC ACADEMY TRUST
Headteacher: Mrs Vannessa Knowles
Diocese: Diocese of Salford
Sponsor: Romero Catholic Academy Trust
Constituency: Rossendale and Darwen
Setting: Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Capacity: 208
Pupils on roll: 198
URN: 150080
Local authority: Blackburn with Darwen
Website: School website
Telephone: 01254701616

About this school

St Edward's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy is a Roman Catholic primary academy in Darwen. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 198 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

England: previous inspection framework

Inspected 23 January 2020 · short inspection

Good

Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one

Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 23 January 2020, 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.

This inspection took place when the school was registered as St Edward's Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn (URN 119666).

Read the full report on Ofsted's website

Exam results

Key stage 2 (end of primary school)

Measure	2024/25
Pupils at the end of key stage 2	30
Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths	70%
Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths	3%
Expected standard in reading	77%
Expected standard in maths	70%
Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling	80%
Average scaled score in reading	103.0
Average scaled score in maths	103.0

How St Edward's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy compares

St Edward's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy ranked 16th 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 74% of England schools in 2024/25.

School	KS2 RWM (2024/25)	Absence	FSM (6 years)	Pupils	Distance
This school	70%	4.5%	18.4%	198	—
St Cuthbert's Church of England Primary School	38%	5.8%	33.3%	184	0.3 miles
Avondale Primary School	72%	4.2%	27.9%	400	0.6 miles
Lower Darwen Primary School	41%	6.2%	17.7%	382	0.7 miles
Blackburn the Redeemer CofE Primary	85%	3.7%	8.9%	416	1.0 miles
Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn	79%	6%	43.5%	180	1.0 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): 18.41%
English as an additional language: 8.5%
Overall absence: 4.47%
Persistent absence: 7.3%

Location

Nearby schools

St Cuthbert's Church of England Primary School
Primary · Darwen

0.3 miles
Avondale Primary School
Primary · Darwen

0.6 miles
Lower Darwen Primary School
Primary · Darwen

0.7 miles
Blackburn the Redeemer CofE Primary
Primary · Blackburn

1.0 miles
Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn
Primary · Blackburn

1.0 miles

Other schools in Darwen

St Edward's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy ranks 3rd of the 14 ranked primary schools in Darwen.

Ashleigh Primary School Primary
Avondale Primary School Primary
Darwen Aldridge Sudell Primary Primary
Darwen St James CofE Primary Academy Primary
Darwen St Peter's Church of England Primary School Primary
Darwen, St Barnabas CofE Primary Academy Primary
Hoddlesden St Paul's Church of England Primary School Primary
Holy Trinity VC School Primary
Lower Darwen Primary School Primary
St Cuthbert's Church of England Primary School Primary
St James' Church of England Primary School Primary
St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School, Darwen Primary

Common questions

What year groups does St Edward's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy teach?: St Edward's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Darwen.
Who is the headteacher of St Edward's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy?: The headteacher of St Edward's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy is Mrs Vannessa Knowles, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
When was St Edward's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy last inspected?: Ofsted has inspected St Edward's RC Primary School, a Voluntary 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 Edward's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy?: St Edward's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy has 198 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
Is St Edward's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy full?: St Edward's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy has capacity for 208 pupils and 198 on roll (95%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
Is St Edward's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy a faith school?: Yes. St Edward's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Salford.
Does St Edward's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy have a nursery?: No. The schools register records St Edward's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy as having no nursery classes.
Who runs St Edward's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy?: St Edward's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy is part of ROMERO CATHOLIC ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
How does St Edward's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy rank locally?: St Edward's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy ranked 16th 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 74% 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 Edward's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy's absence rate?: St Edward's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy's overall absence rate is 4.5% in the latest published census.
What are St Edward's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy's exam results?: Where the Department for Education has published them, St Edward's RC Primary School, a Voluntary 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 10 July 2026.