Darwen Vale High SchoolBlackburn Central High School
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side.
Summary of the comparison
Darwen Vale High School and Blackburn Central High School are secondary schools.
Darwen Vale High School scores 52 out of 100 (grade D, below average) and Blackburn Central High School scores 54 out of 100 (grade D, below average). Blackburn Central High School is ahead on our composite score.
Darwen Vale High School was judged Good and Blackburn Central High School was judged Good.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 39.0 for Darwen Vale High School and 41.0 for Blackburn Central High School.
GCSE Attainment 8 has fallen at Darwen Vale High School (44.2 in 2021-22, 39.0 in 2025-26) and has fallen at Blackburn Central High School (44.4 in 2021-22, 41.0 in 2025-26).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | DarwenDarwen Vale High School | BlackburnBlackburn Central High School | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | D52/100 | D54/100Stronger figure | |
| Local ranking | 8th of 12 in Blackburn with Darwen | 6th 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 | 11-16 | 11-16 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 1,039 | 1,015 | |
| Capacity | 1,200 | 900 | |
| Location | Darwen, BB3 0AL | Blackburn, BB2 3HJ | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 39.0 | 41.0 Stronger figure | 46.2 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 28.2% | 37.2% Stronger figure | 46.3% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 54.0% Stronger figure | 48.3% | 64.8% |
| Cohort | 163 | 172 | |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 1,071 | 984 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 33.1% | 41.0% | |
| English as an additional language | 4.8% | 53.9% | |
| SEN support | 18.9% | 20.0% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 1.7% | 3.5% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 10.2% | 7.9% Stronger figure | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 29.1% | 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 Vale High School
Blackburn Central High School
Full profiles: Darwen Vale High School · Blackburn Central High School