Darwen Aldridge Sudell Primary

Darwen Aldridge Sudell Primary School demonstrates a generally positive performance with notable strengths in safeguarding and pupil behaviour. The school has made significant improvements to enhance attendance rates, which are now in line with national averages, and fosters a welcoming environment for all students. However, challenges remain, particularly in academic achievement where pupils exhibit inconsistencies in their learning, particularly in foundational literacy and numeracy skills. Despite ongoing improvements, not all pupils are adequately prepared for their next stages of education, especially those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Strengths

• Strong safeguarding practices ensuring pupils feel safe.
• Effective support systems for improving attendance.
• Positive behaviour and cooperation among pupils.
• Welcoming school environment for all students.
• Well-crafted personal development programmes for pupils.

Areas for Improvement

• Variable achievement levels among pupils.
• Inconsistencies in teaching delivery and curriculum understanding.
• Children in early years not adequately prepared for Year 1.
• High rates of persistent absence for certain pupil groups.
• Insufficient governance oversight regarding pupil achievement.

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 Darwen Aldridge Sudell Primary attended 92.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 31.3% 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, 1.9% of pupils at Darwen Aldridge Sudell Primary 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 Darwen Aldridge Sudell Primary had 20.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.5% 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, 29.3% of pupils at Darwen Aldridge Sudell Primary were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.6% 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 Darwen Aldridge Sudell Primary received £8,143 and spent £8,838 for each of its 160 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £409,000 (-£2,556 per pupil).

Across all 9 schools of Aldridge Education, income was £9,171 and spending £8,780 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 Darwen · Blackburn with Darwen local authority: places and applications

Darwen Aldridge Sudell Primary is part of Aldridge Education, which runs 9 schools. The nearest others:

• Darwen Aldridge Community Academy Darwen
• Aldridge UTC Darwen Darwen
• Darwen Vale High School Darwen
• AldridgeUTC@MediaCityUK Salford
• Aldridge UTC Warrington Warrington
• Duke's Aldridge London
• Portslade Aldridge Community Academy Brighton
• Brighton Aldridge Community Academy Brighton

What is Darwen Aldridge Sudell Primary's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Darwen Aldridge Sudell Primary is Needs attention, from an inspection in May 2026.

When was Darwen Aldridge Sudell Primary last inspected by Ofsted?

Darwen Aldridge Sudell Primary was last inspected in May 2026.

How many pupils does Darwen Aldridge Sudell Primary have?

Darwen Aldridge Sudell Primary has 167 pupils on roll.

What age range does Darwen Aldridge Sudell Primary cover?

Darwen Aldridge Sudell Primary for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Darwen Aldridge Sudell Primary's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 64% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Darwen Aldridge Sudell Primary?

Darwen Aldridge Sudell Primary is at Ellison Fold Terrace, Darwen, Lancashire, BB3 3EB.