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Secondary schools in Darwen

All 5 secondary schools in Darwen.

5 schools in Darwen

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  1. Darwen Vale High School

    Darwen, BB3 0AL · Academy · Secondary · Ages 11 to 16

    • Ofsted:Good

    Results close to the Darwen average, low absence.

    209 first choices, 233 offers made

    Attainment 8 at 1639.0

    Darwen 36.9England 46.2

    Days missed
    10.2%Darwen 11.2%
    Pupils
    1,039
    Pupils per teacher
    17.5
    View school Darwen Vale High School
  2. Aldridge UTC Darwen

    Darwen, BB3 1AF · Studio School · Secondary · Ages 13 to 19

    • Ofsted:Expected standard or better
    • Has a sixth form

    Results below the Darwen average, high absence.

    Attainment 8 at 1631.7

    Darwen 36.9England 46.2

    Days missed
    18.2%Darwen 11.2%
    Pupils
    275
    Pupils per teacher
    14.8
    View school Aldridge UTC Darwen
  3. Darwen Aldridge Community Academy

    Darwen, BB3 3HD · Academy · Secondary · Ages 11 to 19

    • Ofsted:Requires improvement in 1 area
    • Has a sixth form

    Results close to the Darwen average.

    128 first choices, 145 offers made

    Attainment 8 at 1636.8

    Darwen 36.9England 46.2

    Days missed
    11.1%Darwen 11.2%
    Pupils
    1,036
    Pupils per teacher
    18.8
    View school Darwen Aldridge Community Academy
  4. Aurora Woodlands School

    Lancashire, BB3 2NG · Independent · Secondary · Ages 10 to 19

    • Ofsted:Good

    Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.

    Results

    Not published for this kind of school.

    Days missed
    –
    Pupils
    64
    Pupils per teacher
    –
    View school Aurora Woodlands School
  5. Crosshill Special School

    Darwen, BB3 1HZ · Academy · All-through · Ages 5 to 18

    • Ofsted:Good
    • Has a sixth form

    Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.

    Results

    Not published for this kind of school.

    Days missed
    9.9%
    Pupils
    183
    Pupils per teacher
    7.8
    View school Crosshill Special School
The big picture

How Darwen's secondary schools spread out

Each dot is one school. Hover over a dot to see which school it is.

Attainment 8 at 16

Average score across each pupil's best eight GCSEs.

Darwen 36.9England 46.2Aldridge UTC Darwen: 31.7Darwen Aldridge Community Academy: 36.8Darwen Vale High School: 39020406080
Secondary schools in Darwen

Days missed

Share of school sessions pupils missed, for any reason. Lower is better.

Darwen average 12.3%Crosshill Special School: 9.9%Darwen Vale High School: 10.2%Darwen Aldridge Community Academy: 11.1%Aldridge UTC Darwen: 18.2%0%5%10%15%20%
Secondary schools in Darwen

Ofsted grades in Darwen

The last full grade for each school Ofsted has graded. 4 newer or converted schools don't have a grade yet.

  • Outstanding: 0 of 1
  • Good: 1 of 1
  • Requires improvement: 0 of 1
  • Inadequate: 0 of 1
Before you apply

Four things worth knowing in Darwen

  1. Apply by 31 October.

    Apply to your council in Year 6 for a Year 7 place. Offers come out on 1 March.

  2. Check how old the Ofsted grade is.

    Some grades are many years old. Each school's page shows the date of its last inspection and what's changed since.

    Show Good or Outstanding
  3. List a school you're likely to get.

    Popular schools fill up from the families who live closest. Add your postcode to see which schools are nearest, and put one of them on your form.

    Add my postcode
About these schools

Secondary schools in Darwen, explained

There are 5 secondary schools in Darwen, teaching 2,597 children. 0 are run by the council and 4 are academies or free schools. Among them are 2 special and 1 independent schools.

100% of the mainstream state schools Ofsted has graded are Good or Outstanding, against 94.8% across England. 0 of them are Outstanding, though some grades are several years old, so check the date on each school's page.

Pupils in Darwen scored an average Attainment 8 of 36.9 across their best eight GCSEs, against 46.2 across England.

33.9% of pupils get free school meals. Schools here spend £8,574 a year on each pupil, against £8,120 across England. 34.4% of pupils are persistently absent, missing one day in ten or more, against 18.1% across England.

Looking further afield? See secondary schools near me, or everything in Darwen.

Questions

Questions parents ask

How many secondary schools are in Darwen?
There are 5 secondary schools in Darwen, including state-funded, academies, and independent schools.
What are the best secondary schools in Darwen?
The highest-ranked secondary schools in Darwen on Eduscope are Darwen Vale High School, Aldridge UTC Darwen and Darwen Aldridge Community Academy. We rank each state school against schools of the same phase across England on its Ofsted inspection, results and attendance.
How are secondary schools in Darwen ranked on Eduscope?
Each state school gets a rank score out of 100. We place each measure as a percentile among state schools of the same phase across England, then weight them. Primary schools: latest Ofsted inspection 30%, pupils meeting the expected standard at Key Stage 2 30%, pupils reaching the higher standard 10%, persistent absence (lower is better) 20%, average reading and maths scores 10%. Secondary schools: latest Ofsted inspection 25%, Attainment 8 25%, grade 5 or above in English and maths 15%, persistent absence (lower is better) 15%, pupils staying in education or work after GCSEs 10%, A level average points (sixth forms only) 10%. Results are averaged over up to three years, and an Ofsted grade older than five years counts for less. A school needs data for at least 60% of the weights. Special schools, pupil referral units, nurseries, independent schools and 16 to 19 schools aren't ranked, and are listed by Ofsted grade and name. Our methodology page explains more.
What is the average class size in Darwen secondary schools?
The average pupil-teacher ratio across secondary schools in Darwen is 18:1. While this is not a direct measure of class size, it indicates the level of teaching resource available per pupil.
How do I choose a secondary school in Darwen?
When choosing a secondary school in Darwen, consider Ofsted ratings, GCSE results (Progress 8 and Attainment 8), sixth form provision, and the school's specialisms. You can compare all 5 secondary schools on Eduscope using filters for school type, gender, and admissions policy.

Sources: Department for Education school performance tables, school census and workforce data, Get Information About Schools and Ofsted. Distances are straight-line estimates.

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