Schools in postcode district BB3. Add your full home postcode below for distance filtering and a your neighbourhood comparison with the wider BB3 area.
📍Covers: Ashleigh, Avondale, Bb3 2bw, Blackburn South & Lower Darwen, Darwen, Lower Darwen, Tockholes, and West Pennine
Add your home postcode in the green box below. Until then, distances use the centre of BB3. The list starts at 3 miles — you can change that. Not an official school catchment.
19state-funded schools in BB3, Blackburn with Darwen
14Primary
3Secondary
2Other
2024–25DfE & Ofsted
📊 Neighbourhood & area context
The figures below use three different geographies. Your neighbourhood appears when you add your full postcode. BB3 covers the schools and averages on this page. Blackburn with Darwen is the whole council area for census and crime, which may not match your street. We only show statistics we have for this district.
Area snapshot for BB3
Crime, deprivation near local schools, and Ofsted outcomes for schools in BB3, each shown separately. Crime relates to the whole council area. The other two relate to this postcode district. We do not give the area an overall score.
CrimeLikely above England average160.7 crimes per 1,000 residents · ~last 12 monthsBlackburn with Darwen (whole council area, not BB3 alone)
Deprivation near schoolsMore deprived than average for EnglandIMD band 2 of 10 nationallyNeighbourhoods around schools in BB3
School inspectionsGenerally Good5 of 6 graded Good or Outstanding (19 schools in BB3)Schools in postcode district BB3
Add your full home postcode in the green box above to compare your street with BB3 and Blackburn with Darwen.
More local context
House prices, flood risk, broadband and transport for this postcode district, in addition to the snapshot above.
Typical house prices£162,893 (+6.1% year on year)Postcode district BB3 (where available)
Flood riskLowPostcode district BB3
BroadbandGigabit available (86%+ premises, 300+ Mbps)Postcode district BB3
Postcode district BB3
Schools and other averages for postcode district BB3. This matches the map and school list before you change the distance filter.
Schools in district
19 (14 primary, 3 secondary)
Average attendance
94%
Average free school meals
26%
Average SEN
25.1%
Average EAL
11.3%
Deprivation around local schools
More deprived than average for England
Average house price
£162,893 (+6.1% year on year)
Flood risk
Low
Broadband
Gigabit available (86%+ premises, 300+ Mbps)
Green space
Moderate – local parks and playing fields nearby
Council tax
Typical band A–B
Wider area: Blackburn with Darwen
Census and crime for the whole of Blackburn with Darwen. These figures are council-wide and are not broken down to your village or street.
Population
154,735
Households
55,780
Aged under 18
25.7%
Aged 16–64 (approx.)
59.8%
Aged 65+
14.5%
Ethnicity
White 60%, Asian 36%, Mixed 2%
Crimes (estimated)
24,866
Crimes per 1,000 (estimated)
160.7Above national average
About these figures: School statistics mostly 2024–25. Pipeline checked May 2026. Wider-area lines use Census 2021 for Blackburn with Darwen. Crime figures are rough estimates for the council area, not police records for your street. Use the (i) on each row for source and geography. Full methodology · Data updates
📍Map of schools in this area
The map shows 19 schools in postcode district BB3. Numbered circles group nearby schools — click to zoom in. Use the list beside the map, a pin, or Show on map on a school card below.
Map key (phases, Ofsted, markers)
Pin colour shows school phase. Letters on pins: P primary, S secondary. Ofsted and admissions are on each school card below.
School phase
Primary (P)
Secondary (S)
District centre
12Numbered circles group nearby schools — click to zoom in
📏How far from the BB3 centre?
Pick a radius to control which schools appear in the list below. Only schools whose postcode is in BB3 are included — we measure the straight-line distance from BB3 centre. Add your home postcode above to search by distance from your address across nearby districts.
🎯 Show schools within:
3 miles is selected by default. Add your home postcode at the top to measure from your address instead of the district centre. Try 1 mile or 1.5 miles for a shorter list, 3 miles for a wider search, or All in district for every BB3 school regardless of distance. Straight-line distance only — not walking, driving, or an official catchment area.
Common questions in this area
📋Usually oversubscribed near here?
In BB3, 12 of 18 schools with admissions data are marked as usually oversubscribed on their cards. That is a historic demand signal — not a guarantee you will or will not get a place. Always check the local authority admissions rules and the school’s published PAN.
🚶How far is the school run?
Add your home postcode at the top of the page to see distances from your door. Until then, distances use BB3 centre. All figures are straight-line miles — not walking or driving time, and not catchment areas.
🔄What changed recently?
School and area figures come from open government releases (mostly 2024/25 where published). 19 schools here have a last inspection date on their cards; 5 show a plain-English note when Ofsted published area judgements without an overall grade.
Choose a school type — primary, secondary, or all schools in your list.
Sort that list — put the schools you want to compare at the top.
Add to school shortlist — tick up to 6 schools you are considering (saved on this device).
Each card shows key statistics for that school. If you are unsure what a figure means, see the data guide at the bottom of the page.
Filter by school type:
All schools19
Sort list by
Choose how to order the cards — for example nearest first, latest inspection, attendance, attainment, or admissions pressure.
Darwen St James CofE Primary Academy
St James Crescent, Darwen BB3 0EY
Type
Academy converter
Age range
3–11
Trust
CIDARI EDUCATION LIMITED
Ofsted
Area judgements
New inspection format — no single overall grade.
Latest visit (Sept 2025): no overall grade — quality of education and leadership and management require improvement; behaviour and attitudes, personal development and early years good. See the full Ofsted report.
Latest visit (Jul 2025): no overall grade — quality of education require improvement; behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership and management good. See the full Ofsted report.
Latest visit (May 2025): no overall grade — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, leadership and management and early years require improvement; personal development good. See the full Ofsted report.
Latest visit (Dec 2024): no overall grade — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management and early years good. See the full Ofsted report.
Hoddlesden St Paul's Church of England Primary School
Hoddlesden St Paul's CE Primary School, Bayne Street, Darwen BB3 3NH
Type
Voluntary aided school
Age range
3–11
Ofsted
Area judgements
New inspection format — no single overall grade.
Latest visit (Jan 2025): no overall grade — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management and early years outstanding. See the full Ofsted report.
Choose how to order the cards — for example nearest first, latest inspection, attendance, ks2 results, or admissions pressure.
Darwen St James CofE Primary Academy
St James Crescent, Darwen BB3 0EY
Type
Academy converter
Age range
3–11
Trust
CIDARI EDUCATION LIMITED
Ofsted
Area judgements
New inspection format — no single overall grade.
Latest visit (Sept 2025): no overall grade — quality of education and leadership and management require improvement; behaviour and attitudes, personal development and early years good. See the full Ofsted report.
Latest visit (May 2025): no overall grade — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, leadership and management and early years require improvement; personal development good. See the full Ofsted report.
Latest visit (Dec 2024): no overall grade — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management and early years good. See the full Ofsted report.
Hoddlesden St Paul's Church of England Primary School
Hoddlesden St Paul's CE Primary School, Bayne Street, Darwen BB3 3NH
Type
Voluntary aided school
Age range
3–11
Ofsted
Area judgements
New inspection format — no single overall grade.
Latest visit (Jan 2025): no overall grade — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management and early years outstanding. See the full Ofsted report.
Choose how to order the cards — for example nearest first, latest inspection, attendance, progress 8, or admissions pressure.
Darwen Aldridge Community Academy
Sudell Road, Darwen BB3 3HD
Type
Academy sponsor led
Age range
11–19
Trust
ALDRIDGE EDUCATION
Ofsted
Area judgements
New inspection format — no single overall grade.
Latest visit (Jul 2025): no overall grade — quality of education require improvement; behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership and management good. See the full Ofsted report.
How many schools are in the BB3 postcode district?
We list 19 state-funded schools whose address postcode starts with BB3: 14 primary, 3 secondary, and 2 other phases. Independent schools are not included.
What areas does BB3 cover?
Postcode district BB3 spans Ashleigh, Avondale, Bb3 2bw, Blackburn South & Lower Darwen, Darwen, Lower Darwen, Tockholes, and West Pennine. Exact boundaries follow Royal Mail outward codes — use the map and school addresses for a specific street.
What are Ofsted ratings like for schools in BB3?
Among schools on this page: 5 Good, 1 Requires improvement, and 13 on the new inspection format (area judgements only). Grades are the latest published overall effectiveness or monitoring outcome — always check the full report on Ofsted’s site.
What is average attendance like in BB3?
Across schools here with published absence data, mean attendance is about 94% (2024–25). Individual schools vary — see each card.
Are primary schools in BB3 oversubscribed?
Indicative labels from published roll numbers versus capacity (not a guarantee of a place): 12 usually oversubscribed; 4 about average pressure; 2 often have places. Always confirm with the school and Blackburn with Darwen admissions team.
📖 Guide to school and area statistics
What the numbers on this page for BB3 mean. Area rows may still show (i) for data source and geography.
School listings
What you see on each school card
Only fields that appear on at least one school on this page are listed.
School type
How the school is run. For example academy, council-maintained, voluntary aided or free school.
Trust
The multi-academy trust or sponsor running the school, where it is an academy.
Age range
Year groups on roll. For example 4–11 for primary, or 11–18 with sixth form.
Ofsted
Latest published inspection grade, inspection date where we have it, and a link to the school’s page on the Ofsted reports site.
Straight-line miles
Distance as the crow flies from your home postcode when you have entered one, otherwise from the middle of this district. Not walking or driving time.
Walking, cycling and park-and-stride hints
Rough bands from straight-line miles: about 1 mile or less may suit walking; about 1–2.5 miles we show cycling and park-and-stride; over about 2.5 miles park-and-stride only. Not checked routes or journey times.
Pupils
Number of pupils on roll from published school census data.
Free school meals
Pupils eligible for free school meals. Often used as one indicator of economic disadvantage in the catchment. Useful context, not a comment on pupils or families.
SEN
Share of pupils with SEN support or an EHC plan. A higher figure can reflect inclusive admissions and experience, or more demand on staff. Check what is on site and talk to the SENCO.
SEN provision
Extra on-site support such as a resourced provision or SEN unit.
English as an additional language (EAL)
Pupils whose first language is not English. Many schools support this well; if English at home matters to you, ask how beginners are taught in class. Not a measure of overall quality.
Attendance
Share of possible sessions attended. Higher is better.
Persistent absence
Share of pupils missing 10% or more of sessions. Lower is better.
Admissions pressure
Indicative label from recent applications versus places — oversubscribed, about average or often has spaces.
Attainment
Primary: share meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (Key Stage 2). Secondary: Progress 8. A dash means nothing was published for that school.
Attainment vs local
Compares each school’s headline to others of the same phase on this page. Above, below or about average for the district.
Area overview
What you see in the area overview
Matches the snapshot and tables below: your postcode, this district, then the wider council area.
Area snapshot
Crime for the whole council compared with England, deprivation near schools in this postcode district, and how local schools fare in Ofsted inspections. Shown separately, not as one overall area mark.
More local context
House prices, flood risk, broadband and transport for this postcode district where we have them, alongside the snapshot.
Schools in district
How many schools are in this postcode district, split by primary and secondary.
Average attendance
Mean attendance across schools here with published absence data.
Average free school meals
Mean free school meals eligibility across schools here with published data.
Average SEN
Mean SEN percentage across schools here with published data.
Average EAL
Mean English as an additional language percentage where published.
Deprivation
How deprived neighbourhoods around schools here are compared with England (official deprivation index, shown as bands 1–10 where 1 is most deprived and 10 is least deprived).
Average house price
Typical sold prices for this postcode district where we have them. Street-by-street prices vary.
Flood risk
Indicative summary. Check Environment Agency maps for a specific address.
Broadband
General picture of speeds and availability. Check with providers at your address.
Green space
Brief summary of access to parks or countryside nearby.
Council tax
Typical band for the area. Your exact band depends on the property.
Your home neighbourhood
When you enter your full home postcode, we compare deprivation for your small area with the typical area around schools in this district.
Population, households, ethnicity and age
Census figures for the local council area, not your street or this postcode district alone.
Crime figures
Often a rough council-wide estimate, not police records for your postcode. Badges compare to the national average when we have recorded data.
Using this page
Using this page
Tools on this page for narrowing schools and understanding distances.
Distance filter
Controls which schools appear in the list — 1, 1.5, 2 or 3 miles, or every school in this district. Not an admissions catchment.
About these figures
School and Ofsted data from official releases. The area overview splits postcode-district figures from wider council context, with dates at the bottom of that panel.
