Darwen Aldridge Community Academy
Sudell Road, Darwen, BB3 3HD
1,036 pupils · 65% of 1,600 capacity
- Phase
- Secondary
- Type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 11–19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Does not apply
- Admissions
- Non-selective
- Trust
- ALDRIDGE EDUCATION
- Local authority
- Blackburn with Darwen
- Sixth form
- Yes
- Free school meals
- 36.2%
Ofsted
No overall grade (2025) — Inspected 2024–2025 — no overall grade under the interim framework
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 20 May 2025, published 9 July 2025. Read the full Ofsted report
England has three coexisting inspection systems — how we translate them into one signal.
Exam results
| Measure | 2024/25 |
|---|---|
| Attainment 8 score | 36.5 |
| Grade 5 or above in English & maths (strong pass) | 23.6% |
| Grade 4 or above in English & maths (standard pass) | 49.7% |
| Entering the English Baccalaureate | 17.3% |
Progress 8 is not published nationally for 2024/25 and 2025/26 while KS2 baselines are missing (no SATs in 2020/21). It returns from 2026/27.
“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 — 0.88 first-choice applications per place (Sept 2026 entry)
| Entry | Places | 1st preferences | Total preferences | Offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2026 entry | 145 | 128 | 244 | 139 |
| Sept 2025 entry | 150 | 140 | 246 | 144 |
| Sept 2024 entry | 159 | 105 | 218 | 129 |
| Sept 2023 entry | 146 | 112 | 247 | 128 |
| Sept 2022 entry | 189 | 164 | 337 | 181 |
| Sept 2021 entry | 170 | 151 | 256 | 159 |
| Sept 2020 entry | 175 | 161 | 278 | 166 |
| Sept 2019 entry | 207 | 195 | 314 | 199 |
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
- Darwen Aldridge Enterprise Studio 0.6 km · Most areas: Expected standard (2026)
- Darwen Vale High School 2.4 km · Good (2024) · previous system
- Blackburn Central High School 5 km · Good — confirmed 2022 · previous system
- St Bede's Roman Catholic High School, Blackburn 5.1 km · No overall grade (2025)
- Our Lady and St John RC High School, a Voluntary Academy 5.3 km · Requires improvement (2023) · previous system
- Tauheedul Islam Boys' High School 5.6 km · Outstanding (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.