St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School, Darwen
Primary · Voluntary aided school · Ages 4–11 · DARWEN, Blackburn with Darwen
St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School, Darwen is a primary school in DARWEN, Blackburn with Darwen for ages 4–11 (voluntary aided school). Its latest Ofsted outcome is Standards maintained, from the inspection on 15 January 2025. Blackburn with Darwen has published a last distance offered for this school for Reception 2026 entry.
Open on the map Unlock with a pass · £9.99
Key facts
- Address
- Limes Avenue, DARWEN, BB3 2SG
- Type
- Voluntary aided school
- Phase
- Primary
- Ages
- 4–11
- Sector
- See recorded establishment type
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Council
- Blackburn with Darwen
- Pupils on roll
- 165 January 2026 school census
- Free school meals
- 15.2% of pupils eligible
- Pupils per teacher
- 18.3
Official record: Get Information about Schools · as at 15 September 2026
Ofsted
Standards maintained Inspected 15 January 2025
Strengths
- “Pupils appreciate all the qualities of St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Primary School.”
- “Staff take time to get to know pupils and their families well.”
- “They genuinely care about pupils and their well-being.”
To improve
- “However, some of the 2024 Year 6 published results from national assessments do not reflect these improvements to the curriculum or how well current pupils are learning.”
- “However, sometimes the checks teachers make on pupils’ learning do not identify gaps in pupils’ knowledge or enable pupils to learn more if they are ready to do so.”
- “This means that, on occasion, misconceptions persist.”
Safeguarding: Effective
Quoted from the Ofsted report published 5 March 2025 (read the report). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Exam results
| Measure | School | England |
|---|---|---|
| Key stage 2 · reading, writing and maths, expected standard (2024/25) | 70% | 62% |
Department for Education school performance data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Applications and offers
- 2026 Reception entry: 14 first-preference applications, 16 offers in total, 14 offers to first-preference applicants.
Department for Education, school-level applications and offers, figures on national offer day. Earlier years are in the pass.
Last distance offered and catchment
A one-off £9.99 pass, no subscription, unlocks for 3 months:
- Last distance offered for Reception 2026, as Blackburn with Darwen published it, drawn on the map
- Earlier years of exam results
- Which schools pupils move on to or come from
- Crime, sold prices, broadband and transport around the school
A last distance offered describes one past year and is not a catchment or a promise of a place. Check with the council before you apply.
Nearby primary schools
Straight-line distance, in Blackburn with Darwen.
- Holy Trinity VC School 0.4 mi Not judged Last distance published
- Darwen St Peter's Church of England Primary School 0.6 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- Ashleigh Primary School 0.6 mi School remains Good
- Darwen Aldridge Sudell Primary 0.7 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- Darwen, St Barnabas CofE Primary Academy 0.9 mi School remains Good Last distance published
- Darwen St James CofE Primary Academy 0.9 mi Not judged Last distance published
- Avondale Primary School 1.0 mi School remains Good Last distance published
- St Cuthbert's Church of England Primary School 1.3 mi Requires improvement Last distance published