Blackburn College
One in four students go on to university — well below the England rate.
of 16–18 leavers started university · Blackburn with Darwen 31% · England 37% · DfE destination measures, students who left in 2023
- Ofsted
- —
Ofsted: Not covered by Ofsted school inspections.
Where do sixth-formers go at 18?
DfE 16–18 destination measures · 1,343 students who left in 2023
23% went to university (England 37%). 8% started an apprenticeship (England 7%). 26% went into work and 26% had no steady place a year on (England 28% and 16%).
Most selective universities — the third of UK universities whose entrants hold the highest grades; the share is of students who completed level 3 qualifications.
Full breakdown7
| Measure | Blackburn College | Blackburn with Darwen | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 1,343 | 1,804 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 68% | 71% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 23% | 31% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 3% | 10% | 19% |
| Further education | 10% | 8% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 8% | 8% | 7% |
| Employment | 26% | 23% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 26% | 23% | 16% |
Which universities did they go to?
Named universities — most schools do not publish this; the official DfE figures above only say how many went to university and how selective those universities were.
universities’ answers to sch.today’s Freedom of Information requests · request tracker
What universities’ own admissions data say2
For each entry year: how many of this school’s students applied, received an offer and enrolled. Counts under five are shown as “<5” to protect individuals. Applications exclude Clearing; enrolments are students who completed registration.
| University | Entry year | Applied | Offers | Enrolled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Bristol | 2024 | <5 | <5 | — |
| 2023 | <5 | <5 | <5 |
A university’s enrolment count and a school’s own destinations list can differ: the school counts places accepted in the summer, the university counts students registered in the autumn.
What do pupils study?
Mapped — the share of the 1,259 learning outcomes the Department for Education sets for these stages that the subjects taken here cover, weighted by how many pupils take each.
DfE subject entries 2025 · curriculum catalogue by sch.today
At A level it is Law: 27% of students (England 4%).
Fields of knowledge — twelve fields the curriculum catalogue sorts every learning outcome into; the bars show the GCSE and A level ring.
A level subjects18
Entries as a share of A level students, compared with the share across England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Law | 21 | 27% | 4% |
| Psychology | 21 | 27% | 23% |
| Mathematics | 19 | 24% | 31% |
| Sociology | 17 | 22% | 13% |
| Chemistry | 14 | 18% | 17% |
| Accounting/Finance | 13 | 17% | 1% |
| Biology | 11 | 14% | 20% |
| Business Studies | 10 | 13% | 13% |
| History | 7 | 9% | 13% |
| English Language and Literature | 7 | 9% | 2% |
| Politics | 7 | 9% | 6% |
| Computer Science | 6 | 8% | 5% |
| Fine Art | 6 | 8% | 3% |
| Economics | — | — | 13% |
| English Language | — | — | 4% |
| English Literature | — | — | 11% |
| Further Mathematics | — | — | 5% |
| Physics | — | — | 12% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses28
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health Studies | VRQ Level 3 | 89 | 100% | — |
| Business Studies | BTEC National Extended Diploma L3 - Band N - PPP-D*D*D* | 72 | 92% | — |
| Applied Sciences | BTEC National Extended Diploma L3 - Band N - PPP-D*D*D* | 57 | 73% | — |
| Social Science | VRQ Level 3 | 50 | 64% | — |
| Computer Architecture / Systems | BTEC National Foundation Diploma L3 - Band H - P-D* | 38 | 49% | — |
| Engineering Studies | BTEC National Extended Diploma L3 - Band N - PPP-D*D*D* | 33 | 42% | — |
| Computing and IT Advanced Technician | BTEC National Extended Diploma L3 - Band N - PPP-D*D*D* | 31 | 40% | — |
| Business Studies | BTEC National Foundation Diploma L3 - Band H - P-D* | 22 | 28% | — |
| Tourism | BTEC National Foundation Diploma L3 - Band H - P-D* | 19 | 24% | — |
| Plumbing (Building Work) | VRQ Level 2 | 19 | 24% | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 17 | 22% | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Extended Diploma L3 - Band N - PPP-D*D*D* | 15 | 19% | — |
| Building / Construction Operations (General / Combined) | BTEC National Extended Diploma L3 - Band N - PPP-D*D*D* | 12 | 15% | — |
| Religious Studies | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | 10 | 13% | — |
| Religious Studies | GCE AS level (All) | 10 | 13% | — |
| Computing and IT Advanced Technician | BTEC National Diploma L3 - Band J - PP-D*D* | 9 | 12% | — |
| Computer Architecture / Systems | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 9 | 12% | — |
| Mathematical Studies | Core Maths Qualifications at Level 3 | 9 | 12% | — |
| Engineering Studies | BTEC National Foundation Diploma L3 - Band H - P-D* | 7 | 9% | — |
| Finance / Accounting (General) | VRQ Level 3 | 7 | 9% | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Diploma L3 - Band J - PP-D*D* | 7 | 9% | — |
| Engineering Studies | BTEC National Diploma L3 - Band J - PP-D*D* | — | — | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Applied Sciences | BTEC National Foundation Diploma L3 - Band H - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Foundation Diploma L3 - Band H - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Law / Legal Studies | BTEC Level 3 National Certificate (Band D) | — | — | — |
| Applied Sciences | BTEC Level 3 National Certificate (Band D) | — | — | — |
| Engineering Studies | VRQ Level 2 | — | — | — |
A level results8
| Measure | Blackburn College | Blackburn with Darwen | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 3,199 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 78 | 406 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C+ | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 33.23 | 32.70 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C | C+ | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 7% | 14% | 18% |
| Average grade, applied general courses | — | — | — |
| Average grade, T levels | — | — | — |
Fields of knowledge, all stages10
Ideas pupils meet most, weighted by the share of the cohort taking the subjects that teach them:
Coverage counts a subject’s outcomes in proportion to the share of the cohort entered for it; Combined Science counts as two thirds of the three separate sciences. Levels follow ISCED 2011 as UNESCO maps it for the UK: Key Stage 3 is ISCED 2; GCSE and A level are both ISCED 3. Methodology: about the data.
Which jobs use what’s taught here?
A match of what’s taught, not of entry requirements: the standards whose knowledge and skills share the most ideas with the GCSEs and A levels taken here, weighted by how many pupils take each subject.
Level 3 / Level 6 — England’s qualification levels: 3 is A level standard, 4–5 are higher apprenticeships, 6 is a bachelor’s degree.
Skills England apprenticeship standards (Open Government Licence v3.0) · ESCO occupations, © European Union, matched by sch.today · how the match works
More apprenticeships9
How do you get a place?
Admission is by application to the provider, usually against GCSE grades for each course; there is no distance rule.
- Dec–FebYear 11: apply directly; most close applications in these months
- AugGCSE results day: places are confirmed against the entry grades
Compare with nearby schools
More Blackburn with Darwen schools3
Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.