Schools in Darwen

About schools in Darwen

Darwen lists 19 schools, most of them primary schools. Its three secondary schools are where families compare options once a child finishes primary. One school here provides for children with additional needs.

Ofsted inspects every school listed here. Its newer reports judge a school across several areas rather than giving one overall grade, while older reports still carry the previous single grade, so read the framework and the date on each page before you set two schools side by side. Where results have been published you will also find key stage 2 scores for the primary schools and Attainment 8 for the secondary schools. An inspection or a results table captures a school at one past moment, so use this page to draw up a shortlist and then visit.

Key stage 2, 2024/25

54%

of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, across the 14 schools with published results

Key stage 4, 2024/25

39.3

average Attainment 8 score, across the 3 schools with published results

Nursery schools1

• Turncroft Nursery School

  Local authority nursery school · Ages 3 to 4

Primary schools14

The figure beside a school is the share of its pupils who reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.

• Ashleigh Primary School

  Foundation school · Ages 4 to 11

  66%

  expected standard
• Avondale Primary School

  Community school · Ages 4 to 11

  72%

  expected standard
• Darwen Aldridge Sudell Primary

  Academy converter · Ages 4 to 11

  64%

  expected standard
• Darwen St James CofE Primary Academy

  Academy converter · Ages 3 to 11

  37%

  expected standard
• Darwen St Peter's Church of England Primary School

  Voluntary aided school · Ages 4 to 11

  43%

  expected standard
• Darwen, St Barnabas CofE Primary Academy

  Academy converter · Ages 4 to 11

  65%

  expected standard
• Hoddlesden St Paul's Church of England Primary School

  Voluntary aided school · Ages 3 to 11

  41%

  expected standard
• Holy Trinity VC School

  Voluntary controlled school · Ages 4 to 11

  62%

  expected standard
• Lower Darwen Primary School

  Community school · Ages 4 to 11

  41%

  expected standard
• St Cuthbert's Church of England Primary School

  Voluntary aided school · Ages 4 to 11

  38%

  expected standard
• St Edward's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy

  Academy converter · Ages 4 to 11

  70%

  expected standard
• St James' Church of England Primary School

  Voluntary aided school · Ages 4 to 11

  50%

  expected standard
• St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School, Darwen

  Voluntary aided school · Ages 4 to 11

  70%

  expected standard
• St Stephen's Tockholes CofE Primary School

  Voluntary aided school · Ages 4 to 11

  10%

  expected standard

Secondary schools3

The figure beside a school is its average Attainment 8 score (out of 90) in 2024/25.

• Darwen Aldridge Community Academy

  Academy sponsor led · Ages 11 to 19

  36.5

  Attainment 8
• Darwen Aldridge Enterprise Studio

  Studio schools · Ages 13 to 19

  34.7

  Attainment 8
• Darwen Vale High School

  Academy sponsor led · Ages 11 to 16

  43.1

  Attainment 8

Special schools and alternative provision1

• Crosshill Special School

  Academy special converter · Ages 5 to 18

Common questions about schools in Darwen

How many schools does Darwen have?

OfferDay lists 19 schools in Darwen, including 14 primary schools and three secondary schools.

Who inspects schools in Darwen?

Every school in Darwen is inspected by Ofsted. Newer reports grade several areas of a school separately on a report card, while older reports carry a single overall grade, so check the framework and the date on each page before you compare two schools.

How are schools in Darwen ranked?

OfferDay ranks schools in Darwen where the Department for Education has published results, by key stage 2 scores for primary schools and Attainment 8 for secondary schools. The ranking links are near the top of this page. A results table only captures one part of a school, so use it to draw up a shortlist and then visit.

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. Information on this page was last updated on 10 July 2026.