Lower Darwen Primary School
Milking Lane, Darwen, BB3 0RB
382 pupils · 91% of 420 capacity
- Phase
- Primary
- Type
- Community school
- Ages
- 4–11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Does not apply
- Local authority
- Blackburn with Darwen
- Free school meals
- 20.4%
Ofsted
Good (2023) — Rated under the pre-September 2024 inspection system
This school has not yet been inspected under the report-card system introduced in November 2025. When it is, this section will show a grade for each area — Ofsted says the new grades do not map onto the old ones, so we do not predict them.
Inspected 21 March 2023, published 18 May 2023. Read the full Ofsted report
England has three coexisting inspection systems — how we translate them into one signal.
Exam results
| Measure | 2024/25 |
|---|---|
| Reaching the expected standard in reading, writing & maths | 41% |
| Reaching the higher standard | 0% |
“Not published (small cohort)” means the DfE suppressed the figure to protect small cohorts — it is not a zero.
Will my child get in?
Usually has places available — 0.82 first-choice applications per place (Sept 2026 entry)
| Entry | Places | 1st preferences | Total preferences | Offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2026 entry | 44 | 36 | 84 | 44 |
| Sept 2025 entry | 50 | 41 | 113 | 49 |
| Sept 2024 entry | 45 | 44 | 116 | 45 |
| Sept 2023 entry | 51 | 50 | 117 | 51 |
| Sept 2022 entry | 48 | 46 | 125 | 48 |
| Sept 2021 entry | 34 | 32 | 92 | 34 |
| Sept 2020 entry | 45 | 37 | 97 | 45 |
| Sept 2019 entry | 58 | 51 | 108 | 57 |
First-choice demand varies year to year, and the school’s admission criteria — not demand — decide who is offered a place. Use this as a rough signal, never a prediction.
Nearby alternatives
- St James' Church of England Primary School 0.7 km · No overall grade (2024)
- Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn 0.9 km · Good — confirmed 2022 · previous system
- St Edward's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy 1.2 km · Good — confirmed 2020 · previous system
- Longshaw Infant School 1.3 km · Most areas: Expected standard (2026)
- Blackburn the Redeemer CofE Primary 1.4 km · No overall grade (2024)
- St Cuthbert's Church of England Primary School 1.7 km · Requires improvement (2024) · previous system
Straight-line distance — not travel time, and not a catchment. Same phase, open schools only.
Data from DfE and Ofsted open data (OGL v3) — sources. School record updated 10 July 2026. Report incorrect data.