Blackburn Central High SchoolOur Lady and St John RC High School
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in Blackburn.
Summary of the comparison
Blackburn Central High School and Our Lady and St John RC High School are secondary schools in Blackburn.
Blackburn Central High School scores 54 out of 100 (grade D, below average) and Our Lady and St John RC High School scores 33 out of 100 (grade F, weak). Blackburn Central High School is ahead on our composite score.
Blackburn Central High School was judged Good and Our Lady and St John RC High School was judged Requires improvement.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 41.0 for Blackburn Central High School and 36.6 for Our Lady and St John RC High School.
GCSE Attainment 8 has fallen at Blackburn Central High School (44.4 in 2021-22, 41.0 in 2025-26).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | BlackburnBlackburn Central High School | BlackburnOur Lady and St John RC High School | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | D54/100Stronger figure | F33/100 | |
| Local ranking | 6th of 12 in Blackburn with Darwen Stronger figure | 12th of 12 in Blackburn with Darwen | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: GoodStronger figure | Ofsted: Requires improvement | |
| School type | Academy converter | Academy sponsor led | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-16 | 11-16 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 1,015 | 770 | |
| Capacity | 900 | 821 | |
| Location | Blackburn, BB2 3HJ | Blackburn, BB1 1PY | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 41.0 Stronger figure | 36.6 | 46.2 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 37.2% Stronger figure | 24.7% | 46.3% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 48.3% Stronger figure | 41.1% | 64.8% |
| Cohort | 172 | 146 | |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 984 | 812 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 41.0% | 47.7% | |
| English as an additional language | 53.9% | 34.4% | |
| SEN support | 20.0% | 22.3% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 3.5% | 2.2% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 7.9% Stronger figure | 13.8% | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 25.1% Stronger figure | 40.5% | 15.8% |
marks the stronger figure on measures with a clear direction. Rows describing a school's intake, such as free school meals, English as an additional language and SEN, carry no marker: they describe who a school serves, not how well it serves them.
Historical trends
Each solid line is one school; the dashed line is the national average.
GCSE Attainment 8
Overall absence
Free school meal eligibility (ever 6)
Pupils on roll
Ethnicity over time
One panel per school: the largest groups across this comparison, one colour per group, on a shared scale.
Blackburn Central High School
Our Lady and St John RC High School
Full profiles: Blackburn Central High School · Our Lady and St John RC High School