Primary
St James' Church of England Primary School
Off Stopes Brow, Lower Darwen, Darwen, BB3 0QP
Key facts
- Phase
- Primary
- Type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Intake
- Mixed
- Pupils
- 202 of 210 places
- Local authority
- Blackburn with Darwen
- Religious character
- Yes
- Diocese
- Diocese of Blackburn
Ofsted
Last inspected October 2024
- Behaviour and attitudesGood
- Early yearsGood
- Leadership and governanceGood
- Personal developmentGood
- Quality of educationGood
Inspected under the previous framework, which used its own four-point scale. Ofsted now publishes a report card grading several areas separately, so these grades are not directly comparable with a recent inspection’s.
SafeguardingMet
Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)Earlier inspections1
September 2019
Ungraded inspection
Good
Read the report (opens in a new tab)
SATs results
50%
104.0
6th of 14 by our score, among the primary schools in Darwen we can score - see them all. Local and same-phase on purpose: a national table mostly measures who attends.
All published measures2024/2025
| Measure | Result |
|---|---|
| Average maths score | 104 |
| Average reading score | 104 |
| Reading, writing and maths | 50% |
| Working at a higher standard | 4% |
From the Department for Education. Measures are published per year and suppressed where a cohort is too small, so some schools show fewer. There are no results for 2019/20 or 2020/21, when exams and assessments were cancelled.
Results over time3 years
Each measure on its own scale, over every year we hold.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 22/23 | 52% |
| 23/24 | 50% |
| 24/25 | 50% |
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 22/23 | 105.0 |
| 23/24 | 108.0 |
| 24/25 | 104.0 |
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 22/23 | 104.0 |
| 23/24 | 102.0 |
| 24/25 | 104.0 |
Off Stopes Brow, Lower Darwen, Darwen, BB3 0QP
Admissions
How to apply (opens in a new tab)
You apply through your council, not the school - even for academies and free schools. Applications close on 15 January, the year before starting.
Blackburn with Darwen admissions (opens in a new tab)
The council publishes the oversubscription criteria and last year’s offer distances, which is the closest thing to knowing your chances.
If you are refused a place (opens in a new tab)
You can appeal, and you can join a waiting list at the same time. Accept whatever offer you get first - declining it can leave you with no place at all.
This school’s own admissions (opens in a new tab)
Schools that set their own criteria - faith schools, grammars, academies - publish them on their own site.
Contact
- Headteacher
- Melissa Tindall
- Address
- Off Stopes Brow, Lower Darwen, Darwen, BB3 0QP
- Telephone
- 01254698656