Located in Darwen, Darwen St James CofE Primary Academy is a primary school, serving pupils aged 3 to 11. The school is a academy converter and operates as a mixed school. It follows a not applicable admissions policy. It has a church of england religious character.
Darwen St James CofE Primary Academy currently has around 194 pupils on roll, which is about 73% of its capacity. The gender split is relatively balanced, with approximately 48.5% boys and 51.5% girls. Around 53.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which gives an indication of the socio-economic mix. Pupil backgrounds are varied across different backgrounds and needs.
Overall absence at the school is 9.5%. Persistent absence is recorded at 35.8%.
The majority of pupils are from a white british background (63.9%). pakistani pupils make up about 14.4%
Safeguarding was judged to be effective, which is a key consideration for many parents.
| Address: | St James Crescent, Darwen, BB3 0EY |
| Website: | http://www.darwenstjames.co.uk |
| Telephone: | 01254703260 |
| School Type: | Academy converter |
| Education phase: | Primary |
| Local authority: | Blackburn with Darwen |
| Headteacher / Principal: | Miss Laura Peckson |
| Religious character: | Church of England |
| Admissions policy: | Not applicable |
| Unique reference: | 140891 |
Ofsted inspection date: 09/07/2025
Safeguarding is effective
| Age Range: | 3 - 11 |
| Gender: | Mixed |
| School Capacity: | 265 |
| Number of Pupils: | 194 |
| Number of Boys: | 94 |
| Number of Girls: | 100 |
| School | England state-funded schools: | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall absence: | 9.5% | 4% |
| Persistent absence: | 35.8% | 8.2% |
| White British | 63.90% | 124 |
| Pakistani | 14.40% | 28 |
| African | 8.20% | 16 |
| Other White | 4.60% | 9 |
| Unclassified | 2.60% | 5 |
| Irish Traveller (Traveller of Irish heritage) | 1.50% | 3 |
| Other Asian | 1.50% | 3 |
| Other Mixed | 1.00% | 2 |
| White and Black Caribbean | 0.50% | 1 |
| White and Black African | 0.50% | 1 |
| White and Asian | 0.50% | 1 |
| Indian | 0.50% | 1 |
| Irish | 0.00% | 0 |
| Gypsy/Roma | 0.00% | 0 |
| Bangladeshi | 0.00% | 0 |
| Chinese | 0.00% | 0 |
| Caribbean | 0.00% | 0 |
| Other Black | 0.00% | 0 |
| Other (any other ethnic group) | 0.00% | 0 |
Progress scores show how pupils performed compared with pupils nationally who had similar prior attainment. Scores above 0 are better than average; below 0 are worse than average.
| Ofsted Overall Effectiveness | Distance | Establishment Type | Has Nursery Classes | Gender | More Info | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darwen Childrens Centre Winterton Road , BB3 0ER | - not rated | 80 yd | Local authority nursery school | Yes | Mixed | More About School |
| Turncroft Nursery School Highfield Road , BB3 2DN | 4out of 4 | 1,040 yd | Local authority nursery school | Yes | Mixed | More About School |
| Ofsted Overall Effectiveness | Distance | Establishment Type | Has Nursery Classes | Gender | More Info | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darwen St James CofE Primary Academy St James Crescent , BB3 0EY | - not rated | 0 yd | Academy converter | Yes | Mixed | More About School |
| Darwen St James' Church of England Primary School St James Crescent , BB3 0EY | - not rated | 96 yd | Voluntary aided school | Yes | Mixed | More About School |
| Sudell Primary School Sudell Road , BB3 3EB | - not rated | 738 yd | Community school | No | Mixed | More About School |
| Darwen Aldridge Sudell Primary Ellison Fold Terrace , BB3 3EB | 3out of 4 | 738 yd | Academy converter | No | Mixed | More About School |
| Holy Trinity VC School Bank Top , BB3 2RW | - not rated | 960 yd | Voluntary controlled school | No | Mixed | More About School |
| Ofsted Overall Effectiveness | Distance | Establishment Type | Has Nursery Classes | Gender | More Info | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darwen Moorland High School Holden Fold , BB3 3AU | - not rated | 412 yd | Community school | Not Applicable | Mixed | More About School |
| Darwen Aldridge Enterprise Studio Police Street , BB3 1AF | 3out of 4 | 877 yd | Studio schools | No | Mixed | More About School |
| Darwen Aldridge Community Academy Sudell Road , BB3 3HD | - not rated | 918 yd | Academy sponsor led | Not Applicable | Mixed | More About School |
| Darwen Vale High School Blackburn Road , BB3 0AL | 3out of 4 | 1,721 yd | Academy sponsor led | No | Mixed | More About School |
| Darwen Vale High School Blackburn Road , BB3 0AL | - not rated | 2,279 yd | Community school | No | Mixed | More About School |
| Ofsted Overall Effectiveness | Distance | Establishment Type | Has Nursery Classes | Gender | More Info | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darwen School 3 Sudell Road , BB3 3HW | - not rated | 815 yd | Other independent special school | No | Mixed | More About School |
| Tullyallan Special School Salisbury Road , BB3 1HZ | - not rated | 1,345 yd | Community special school | Not Applicable | Mixed | More About School |
| The Sunnyhurst Centre Salisbury Road , BB3 1HZ | - not rated | 1,345 yd | Pupil referral unit | Not Applicable | Mixed | More About School |
| Crosshill Special School Salisbury Road , BB3 1HZ | 3out of 4 | 1,419 yd | Academy special converter | Not Applicable | Mixed | More About School |
| Aurora Woodlands School Woodlands , Holly Tree Close BB3 2NG | - not rated | 2,663 yd | Other independent special school | Not Applicable | Mixed | More About School |
School statistics for this postcode are based on Ofsted rankings.