Darwen Aldridge Community AcademyBlackburn Central High School
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side.
Summary of the comparison
Darwen Aldridge Community Academy and Blackburn Central High School are secondary schools.
Darwen Aldridge Community Academy scores 43 out of 100 (grade D, below average) and Blackburn Central High School scores 53 out of 100 (grade D, below average). Blackburn Central High School is ahead on our composite score.
Darwen Aldridge Community Academy was judged the expected standard and Blackburn Central High School was judged Good.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 36.5 for Darwen Aldridge Community Academy and 41.0 for Blackburn Central High School.
GCSE Attainment 8 has fallen at Darwen Aldridge Community Academy (41.2 in 2021-22, 36.5 in 2024-25) and has fallen at Blackburn Central High School (44.4 in 2021-22, 41.0 in 2024-25).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | DarwenDarwen Aldridge Community Academy | BlackburnBlackburn Central High School | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | D43/100 | D53/100Stronger figure | |
| Local ranking | 9th of 12 in Blackburn with Darwen | 7th of 12 in Blackburn with Darwen Stronger figure | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: Good | Ofsted: Good | |
| School type | Academy sponsor led | Academy converter | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-19 | 11-16 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 1,065 | 984 | |
| Capacity | 1,600 | 900 | |
| Location | Darwen, BB3 3HD | Blackburn, BB2 3HJ | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 36.5 | 41.0 Stronger figure | 46.0 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 23.6% | 34.7% Stronger figure | 45.4% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 49.7% | 55.7% Stronger figure | 64.8% |
| Entering EBacc | 17.3% | 55.1% Stronger figure | 40.5% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.01 | 3.82 Stronger figure | 4.09 |
| Cohort | 191 | 176 | |
| A-level results | |||
| A-level entries | 29 | Not reported | |
| A-level average points | 24.6 | Not reported | 35.0 |
| A-level average grade | D+ | Not reported | |
| Best 3 A-levels points | 21.5 | Not reported | 35.8 |
| AAB+ incl. facilitating subjects | 0.0% | Not reported | 17.5% |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 1,065 | 984 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 36.8% | 41.0% | |
| English as an additional language | 16.7% | 53.9% | |
| SEN support | 13.4% | 20.0% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 1.4% | 3.5% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 11.1% | 7.9% Stronger figure | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 35.7% | 25.1% Stronger figure | 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
GCSE Progress 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.
Darwen Aldridge Community Academy
Blackburn Central High School
Full profiles: Darwen Aldridge Community Academy · Blackburn Central High School