Lower Darwen Primary SchoolSt James' Church of England Primary School
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in Darwen.
Summary of the comparison
Lower Darwen Primary School and St James' Church of England Primary School are primary schools in Darwen.
Lower Darwen Primary School scores 40 out of 100 (grade D, below average) and St James' Church of England Primary School scores 56 out of 100 (grade C, average). St James' Church of England Primary School is ahead on our composite score.
Lower Darwen Primary School was judged Good and St James' Church of England Primary School was judged the expected standard.
On the share of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths at Key Stage 2, the latest published figures are 41.0% for Lower Darwen Primary School and 50.0% for St James' Church of England Primary School.
The share of pupils meeting the expected standard at Key Stage 2 has risen at Lower Darwen Primary School (31.0% in 2022-23, 41.0% in 2024-25) and has held broadly level at St James' Church of England Primary School (52.0% in 2022-23, 50.0% in 2024-25).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | DarwenLower Darwen Primary School | DarwenSt James' Church of England Primary School | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | D40/100 | C56/100Stronger figure | |
| Local ranking | 43rd of 55 in Blackburn with Darwen | 29th of 55 in Blackburn with Darwen Stronger figure | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: Good | Ofsted: Good | |
| School type | Community school | Voluntary aided school | |
| Phase | Primary | Primary | |
| Age range | 4-11 | 4-11 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 389 | 191 | |
| Capacity | 420 | 210 | |
| Location | Darwen, BB3 0RB | Darwen, BB3 0QP | |
| Key Stage 2 (SATs) | |||
| Reading, writing & maths at expected standard | 41.0% | 50.0% Stronger figure | 62.0% |
| At higher standard | 0.0% | 4.0% Stronger figure | 8.0% |
| Reading average scaled score | 102.0 | 104.0 Stronger figure | 106.0 |
| Maths average scaled score | 102.0 | 104.0 Stronger figure | 105.0 |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 389 | 191 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 17.7% | 26.7% | |
| English as an additional language | 7.7% | 19.9% | |
| SEN support | 15.7% | 11.5% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 4.4% | 5.8% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 6.2% | 5.3% Stronger figure | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 15.1% | 13.5% 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.
KS2: expected standard in reading, writing and maths
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.
Lower Darwen Primary School
St James' Church of England Primary School
Full profiles: Lower Darwen Primary School · St James' Church of England Primary School