Blackburn Central High School
Academy converter · 1,015 pupils
81% stayed in education · Attainment 8 41.0
Academy sponsor led
Our Lady and St John RC High School, a Voluntary Academy
- Pupils on roll
- 770of 821 places
- Free school meals
- 47.7%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 178
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement, 16 May 2023Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Our Lady and St John Catholic College (URN 119790, until 30 November 2023).
What the data says
The Department for Education has not published where Our Lady and St John RC High School, a Voluntary Academy’s Year 11 leavers went next, so this page relies on the school’s results and subjects.
GCSE results in 2025 were well below the national picture: Attainment 8 of 37.2 against 46.1 across England and 45.4 in Blackburn with Darwen, with 23% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
Religious Studies is unusually popular at GCSE: 97% of the year group took it, against 31% of pupils across England.
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.
The Department for Education has not published destination figures for this school (new school, small cohort or not a state-funded school).
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | This school | Blackburn with Darwen | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 37.2 | 45.4 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 23% | 44% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 42% | 63% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 33% | 39% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.16 | 3.98 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 43% | 30% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 31.7 | 35.5 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 41.3 | 49.7 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 37% | 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 | 174 | 98% | 89% | 5% | 20% | 53% |
| Mathematics | 173 | 97% | 88% | 9% | 22% | 49% |
| English Literature | 173 | 97% | 86% | 8% | 21% | 53% |
| Religious Studies | 172 | 97% | 31% | 15% | 32% | 55% |
| Combined Science | 147 | 83% | 65% | 3% | 9% | 35% |
| History | 90 | 51% | 41% | 8% | 26% | 41% |
| Geography | 71 | 40% | 41% | 3% | 25% | 30% |
| Spanish | 37 | 21% | 19% | 11% | 27% | 46% |
| Physics | 26 | 15% | 23% | 46% | 46% | 96% |
| Chemistry | 26 | 15% | 23% | 50% | 47% | 100% |
| Biology | 26 | 15% | 23% | 27% | 45% | 96% |
| Computer Science | 20 | 11% | 13% | 0% | 30% | 20% |
| French | 14 | 8% | 18% | 21% | 29% | 71% |
| Urdu | 13 | 7% | 1% | 31% | 42% | 77% |
| Fine Art | 13 | 7% | 9% | 8% | 28% | 77% |
| Music | 7 | 4% | 5% | 0% | 33% | 0% |
| Polish | 5 | 3% | 1% | — | 84% | — |
| Italian | 4 | 2% | 0% | — | 53% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health Studies | 42 | — | — |
| Sports Studies | 40 | — | — |
| Engineering Studies | 31 | — | — |
| Small Business Management | 25 | — | — |
| Multimedia | 24 | — | — |
| Dance: General | 12 | — | — |
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 12 | — | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 11 | — | — |
| Small Business Management | 1 | — | — |
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.