Blackburn Central High School
Secondary · Academy converter · Ages 11–16 · Blackburn, Blackburn with Darwen
Last distance offered · Year 7 2026
3.894 miles
Published by Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council · offers on 2 March 2026
Blackburn Central High School is a secondary school in Blackburn, Blackburn with Darwen for ages 11–16 (academy converter). Its latest Ofsted outcome is School remains Good, from the inspection on 14 December 2022. Blackburn with Darwen has published a last distance offered for this school for Year 7 2026 entry.
Blackburn Central High School catchment area: last distance offered
Parents often call this the catchment area: it's how far from the school the last child offered a place lived. It changes every year.
| Entry | Last distance offered |
|---|---|
| Year 7 2026 | 3.894 mi |
What the pass includes · How to read it: one past year, not a catchment
What the figures show
- 44% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, against a middle figure of 26.8% across the 8 nearest secondary schools in Blackburn with Darwen.
- In 2026, the last child offered a Year 7 place lived 3.894 miles away, the longest of 6 Blackburn with Darwen secondary schools with a published last distance.
- In 2026, Year 7 had 150 first-choice applications for 197 offers; every first-choice family was offered a place, and 47 offers went to families who ranked it second or lower.
- 2024/25: 35% got grade 5 or above in GCSE English and maths, 2nd lowest of 9 schools: this one and the 8 nearest secondary schools in Blackburn with Darwen.
Worked out by Catchmently from the published figures on this page and those for other Blackburn with Darwen schools. Distances are as published; how they were measured differs between admission authorities.
Key facts
- Address
- Haslingden Road, Blackburn, BB2 3HJ
- Type
- Academy converter
- Phase
- Secondary
- Ages
- 11–16
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Council
- Blackburn with Darwen
- Pupils on roll
- 1,015 January 2026 school census
- Free school meals
- 44% of pupils eligible
- Pupils per teacher
- 17.2
Official record: Get Information about Schools · as at 15 September 2026
Ofsted
School remains Good Inspected 14 December 2022
Strengths
- “Pupils are proud to attend this school.”
- “They have warm and trusting relationships with staff.”
- “Pupils told inspectors that they appreciate the family atmosphere of the school, where everyone is equally valued.”
To improve
- “However, in a small number of subjects, teachers provide pupils with a narrow range of activities and resources.”
- “Pupils occasionally encounter some of the same materials in key stage 3 and key stage 4.”
- “This limits the opportunities for pupils to strengthen their understanding by applying the knowledge that they are learning to new scenarios.”
Safeguarding: Effective
Quoted from the Ofsted report published 7 February 2023 (read the report). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Exam results
| Measure | School | England |
|---|---|---|
| GCSE English and maths, grade 5 or above (2024/25) | 35% | 45% |
| Attainment 8 score (2024/25) | 41 | 46 |
Department for Education school performance data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Applications and offers
- 2026 Year 7 entry: 150 first-preference applications, 197 offers in total, 150 offers to first-preference applicants.
Department for Education, school-level applications and offers, figures on national offer day. Earlier years are in the pass.
Nearby secondary schools
Straight-line distance, in Blackburn with Darwen.
- Our Lady and St John RC High School, a Voluntary Academy 0.7 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- Tauheedul Islam Boys' High School 0.8 mi Outstanding
- St Wilfrid's Church of England Academy 1.0 mi School remains Good Last distance published
- Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School 1.5 mi Some aspects not as strong Last distance published
- Darwen Vale High School 1.6 mi Good Last distance published
- Witton Park Academy 1.7 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- Tauheedul Islam Girls' High School 2.1 mi Outstanding Last distance published
- St Bede's Roman Catholic High School, Blackburn 2.1 mi Not judged Last distance published