The Olive School, Blackburn

The Olive School, Blackburn is a mixed primary free school within Star Academies, with an Islamic faith ethos that welcomes pupils of all faiths and those with none. This March 2025 graded inspection was the school’s first routine inspection since 2015, following its previous exemption, and it was judged outstanding in every key area: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. Under the current framework, no overall effectiveness grade is given.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve highly through an exceptional academic education and consistently high expectations.
• The curriculum is carefully designed to ignite curiosity and build securely on prior knowledge.
• Teachers use regular checks to adapt learning precisely to pupils’ needs.
• Staff have expert subject knowledge and benefit from effective training.
• Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported highly effectively.
• Reading is a strength, with strong early reading support and a positive reading culture.
• Behaviour is outstanding: pupils are calm, respectful, resilient and positive about learning.
• Personal development is central, with strong community, charity and enrichment opportunities.
• Pupils develop an impressive understanding of equality and diversity.
• Early years provision is strong, with quick settling, good routines and strong parental partnership.
• Attendance is good, and the school supports families where attendance concerns arise.
• Staff feel highly supported in their workload and well-being.
• The trust provides strong support and challenge while maintaining high expectations.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

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 The Olive School, Blackburn attended 96.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 5.1% 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, 0.0% of pupils at The Olive School, Blackburn were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No 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 The Olive School, Blackburn had 24.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 8.5% of pupils at The Olive School, Blackburn were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.1% 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 2024–25 The Olive School, Blackburn received £6,344 and spent £6,705 for each of its 637 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,352,000 (£2,123 per pupil).

Across all 36 schools of Star Academies, income was £8,430 and spending £8,333 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

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

The Olive School, Blackburn is part of Star Academies, which runs 36 schools. The nearest others:

• Tauheedul Islam Girls' High School Blackburn
• Tauheedul Islam Boys' High School Blackburn
• Eden Boys' School, Preston Preston
• The Olive School, Preston Preston
• Eden Boys' School, Bolton Bolton
• Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School Rossendale
• The Olive School, Bolton Bolton
• The Valley Leadership Academy Bacup
• Star Radcliffe Academy Radcliffe
• Star Salford Academy Worsley

What is The Olive School, Blackburn's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Olive School, Blackburn is Outstanding, from an inspection in April 2025.

When was The Olive School, Blackburn last inspected by Ofsted?

The Olive School, Blackburn was last inspected in April 2025.

How many pupils does The Olive School, Blackburn have?

The Olive School, Blackburn has 638 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Olive School, Blackburn cover?

The Olive School, Blackburn for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are The Olive School, Blackburn's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 98% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is The Olive School, Blackburn?

The Olive School, Blackburn is at Meins Road, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB2 6QQ.