Blackburn Central High School
Academy converter · 1,015 pupils
81% stayed in education · Attainment 8 41.0
Academy converter
St Wilfrid's Church of England Academy
- Pupils on roll
- 1,483of 1,630 places
- Free school meals
- 26.9%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 247
- Ofsted
- School remains Good, 11 January 2023Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: St Wilfrid's CofE High School and Technology College (URN 119815, until 1 July 2011).
What the data says
Of the 253 pupils who finished Year 11 at St Wilfrid's Church of England Academy in 2023, 28% stayed on in St Wilfrid's Church of England Academy’s own sixth form (Blackburn with Darwen average 17%), 46% went to a further education college and 1% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 127 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 62% went to university (Blackburn with Darwen 31%, England 37%), and 20% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
Photography is unusually popular at GCSE: 20% of the year group took it, against 6% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were above the national picture: Attainment 8 of 50.8 against 46.1 across England and 45.4 in Blackburn with Darwen, with 53% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
Where pupils went after Year 11
Destinations of the 2023 Year 11 leavers, measured the following year: the share in a sustained place for at least two terms. Compared with all state-funded schools in Blackburn with Darwen and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | This school | Blackburn with Darwen | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 253 | 2,152 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 93% | 88% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 90% | 83% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 28% | 17% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 14% | 12% | 13% |
| — further education college | 46% | 52% | 37% |
| — other education | 2% | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 1% | 3% | 3% |
| Employment | 2% | 2% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 6% | 9% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 1% | 3% | 3% |
Where students went after sixth form
Destinations of students who finished 16–18 study in 2023, measured the following year.
University (higher education)Further educationOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | This school | Blackburn with Darwen | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 127 | 1,804 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 87% | 71% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 62% | 31% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 20% | 10% | 19% |
| Further education | 0% | 8% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 8% | 8% | 7% |
| Employment | 17% | 23% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 12% | 23% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | This school | Blackburn with Darwen | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 50.8 | 45.4 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 53% | 44% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 72% | 63% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 8% | 39% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.20 | 3.98 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 22% | 30% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 43.0 | 35.5 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 52.9 | 49.7 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 19% | 29% | 19% |
Progress 8 is not available for 2025 and 2026: these cohorts had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020 and 2021, so there is no baseline. Attainment 8 shows results without taking pupils’ starting points into account.
Subjects taken at GCSE
Entries in 2025 as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England | Grades 7–9 | England | Grades 4–9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 247 | 100% | 89% | 24% | 20% | 77% |
| Mathematics | 247 | 100% | 88% | 23% | 22% | 75% |
| English Literature | 245 | 99% | 86% | 33% | 21% | 81% |
| Religious Studies | 238 | 96% | 31% | 27% | 32% | 69% |
| Combined Science | 173 | 70% | 65% | 11% | 9% | 50% |
| Geography | 122 | 49% | 41% | 20% | 25% | 56% |
| History | 120 | 49% | 41% | 28% | 26% | 66% |
| Business Studies | 80 | 32% | 18% | 15% | 20% | 63% |
| Physics | 74 | 30% | 23% | 35% | 46% | 99% |
| Biology | 74 | 30% | 23% | 39% | 45% | 99% |
| Chemistry | 74 | 30% | 23% | 50% | 47% | 99% |
| Physical Education | 58 | 23% | 11% | 26% | 24% | 79% |
| Photography | 50 | 20% | 6% | 26% | 19% | 92% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 46 | 19% | 8% | 2% | 21% | 67% |
| Fine Art | 41 | 17% | 9% | 17% | 28% | 90% |
| Computer Science | 25 | 10% | 13% | 56% | 30% | 88% |
| Design and Technology | 21 | 9% | 11% | 10% | 23% | 38% |
| French | 20 | 8% | 18% | 50% | 29% | 100% |
| Music | 16 | 6% | 5% | 38% | 33% | 88% |
| Drama | 8 | 3% | 7% | 0% | 27% | 63% |
| Polish | 6 | 2% | 1% | 83% | 84% | 100% |
| Arabic | 2 | 1% | 1% | — | 47% | — |
| Urdu | 2 | 1% | 1% | — | 42% | — |
| Spanish | 1 | 0% | 19% | — | 27% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Childcare Skills | 21 | 20% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 21 | 20% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | This school | Blackburn with Darwen | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 220 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 107 | 406 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C- | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 26.99 | 32.70 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C- | C+ | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 4% | 14% | 18% |
| Average grade, applied general courses | — | — | — |
| Average grade, T levels | — | — | — |
A level subjects
Entries as a share of A level students, compared with the share across England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychology | 53 | 50% | 23% |
| Chemistry | 39 | 36% | 17% |
| Biology | 39 | 36% | 20% |
| Mathematics | 33 | 31% | 31% |
| Sociology | 29 | 27% | 13% |
| Law | 27 | 25% | 4% |
| Business Studies | 16 | 15% | 13% |
| Media Studies | 14 | 13% | 4% |
| Computer Science | 12 | 11% | 5% |
| English Language | 8 | 7% | 4% |
| History | 7 | 7% | 13% |
| Physical Education | 7 | 7% | 3% |
| Physics | 7 | 7% | 12% |
| Religious Studies | 6 | 6% | 4% |
| Fine Art | — | — | 3% |
| English Literature | — | — | 11% |
| Further Mathematics | — | — | 5% |
| Photography | — | — | 3% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | 10 | 9% | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | — | — | — |
| Applied Sciences | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Mathematical Studies | Core Maths Qualifications at Level 3 | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Blackburn with Darwen
Darwen Aldridge Community Academy
Academy sponsor led · sixth form · 1,036 pupils
80% stayed in education · Attainment 8 36.5
Darwen Aldridge Enterprise Studio
Studio schools · sixth form · 275 pupils
87% stayed in education · Attainment 8 34.7
Darwen Vale High School
Academy sponsor led · 1,039 pupils
75% stayed in education · Attainment 8 43.1
Pleckgate High School
Academy sponsor led · 1,339 pupils
85% stayed in education · Attainment 8 49.2
Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School
Free schools · sixth form · 873 pupils
86% stayed in education · Attainment 8 47.0
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.