St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Blackburn

St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School is a happy, nurturing school where pupils feel safe and achieve well across a broad curriculum. The November 2024 graded inspection found provision to be strong in all key areas, including early years, and safeguarding is effective. The school has high expectations, prioritises reading, and provides accurate, ambitious support for pupils with SEND. It is a Roman Catholic primary in Blackburn with Darwen, part of the Diocese of Salford, and uses one registered alternative provider; no overall effectiveness grade was issued under the current inspection arrangements. Pupils behave well, benefit from a wide range of clubs and responsibilities, and are well supported by staff. The curriculum is ambitious and staff are well trained, with early years and phonics particular strengths. Governors know the school well and staff wellbeing is prioritised. The main area for improvement is that some learning activities do not consistently help pupils secure important knowledge, meaning a few pupils move on to new learning too quickly; the school should ensure activities deepen learning securely in all subjects.

Strengths

• Kind and nurturing staff create a safe, happy school where pupils thrive.
• Pupils behave sensibly, are kind to each other, and show positive attitudes to learning.
• The curriculum is ambitious and sets out clear knowledge and key vocabulary.
• High-quality staff training supports effective curriculum delivery.
• Early years provision is well designed and prepares children well for key stage 1.
• The school identifies and supports pupils with SEND accurately and ambitiously.
• Reading is prioritised, with an effective phonics curriculum and strong catch-up support.
• Pupils benefit from clubs, visits, residential trips and meaningful responsibilities.
• Governors provide robust oversight and prioritise staff wellbeing.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Some learning activities do not sufficiently deepen pupils' knowledge, so pupils can move on to new learning before securing important knowledge.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Blackburn attended 93.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 18.2% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 2.6% of pupils at St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Blackburn were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). 2 pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Blackburn had 19.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 4.5% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 16.2% of pupils at St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Blackburn were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.0% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Blackburn received £6,713 and spent £6,820 for each of its 404 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £227,000 (£562 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Blackburn · Blackburn with Darwen local authority: places and applications

What is St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Blackburn's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Blackburn is Good, from an inspection in December 2024.

When was St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Blackburn last inspected by Ofsted?

St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Blackburn was last inspected in December 2024.

How many pupils does St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Blackburn have?

St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Blackburn has 408 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Blackburn cover?

St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Blackburn for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Blackburn's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 56% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Blackburn?

St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Blackburn is at Hawkins Street, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB2 2RY.