St Matthew's Church of England Primary School
Withers Street, Blackburn, BB1 1DF
258 pupils · 92% of 280 capacity
- Phase
- Primary
- Type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 4–11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Local authority
- Blackburn with Darwen
- Free school meals
- 39.9%
Ofsted
Needs attention (2026) — Report card — the most common grade across the inspected areas
| Inclusion | Needs attention |
|---|---|
| Curriculum and teaching | Expected standard |
| Achievement | Needs attention |
| Attendance and behaviour | Expected standard |
| Personal development and wellbeing | Expected standard |
| Leadership and governance | Needs attention |
| Early years | Needs attention |
| Safeguarding | Met |
Inspected 6 January 2026, published 2 March 2026. 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 | 53% |
| Reaching the higher standard | 3% |
“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 — 0.86 first-choice applications per place (Sept 2026 entry)
| Entry | Places | 1st preferences | Total preferences | Offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2026 entry | 35 | 30 | 76 | 34 |
| Sept 2025 entry | 35 | 30 | 73 | 33 |
| Sept 2024 entry | 40 | 40 | 86 | 40 |
| Sept 2023 entry | 40 | 44 | 99 | 40 |
| Sept 2022 entry | 34 | 33 | 60 | 34 |
| Sept 2021 entry | 40 | 41 | 68 | 40 |
| Sept 2020 entry | 39 | 38 | 71 | 39 |
| Sept 2019 entry | 28 | 26 | 60 | 27 |
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
- Blackburn St Thomas' Church of England Primary School 0.6 km · Good — confirmed 2024 · previous system
- Audley Junior School 0.7 km · Good — confirmed 2022 · previous system
- Audley Infant School 0.7 km · Good — confirmed 2024 · previous system
- St Mary's and St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn 0.7 km · Good — confirmed 2022 · previous system
- St Alban's Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn 0.7 km · No overall grade (2024)
- St Michael With St John CofE Primary School 0.9 km · Good — confirmed 2022 · 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.