Blackburn Central High School
Academy converter · 1,015 pupils
81% stayed in education · Attainment 8 41.0
Other independent school · independent
Westholme School
- Pupils on roll
- 706of 775 places
- Free school meals
- —
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 74
- Ofsted
- Not covered by Ofsted school inspections
What the data says
The Department for Education has not published where Westholme School’s Year 11 leavers went next (destination measures are not published for independent schools), so this page relies on the school’s results and subjects.
Photography is unusually popular at GCSE: 31% of the year group took it, against 6% of pupils across England.
A level grades average B-, above the England average of B-. The largest A level subjects are Mathematics, Chemistry and Biology.
Where pupils went after Year 11
Destinations of the 2023 Year 11 leavers, measured the following year: the share in a sustained place for at least two terms. Compared with all state-funded schools in Blackburn with Darwen and England.
The Department for Education has not published destination figures for this school (new school, small cohort or not a state-funded school).
Where students went after sixth form
Destinations of students who finished 16–18 study in 2023, measured the following year.
No published destinations for sixth-form leavers yet.
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Westholme School | Blackburn with Darwen | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 44.1 | 45.4 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 0% | 44% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 0% | 63% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 0% | 39% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.88 | 3.98 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | — | 30% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | — | 35.5 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | — | 49.7 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | — | 29% | 19% |
Progress 8 is not available for 2025 and 2026: these cohorts had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020 and 2021, so there is no baseline. Attainment 8 shows results without taking pupils’ starting points into account.
Subjects taken at GCSE
Entries in 2025 as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England | Grades 7–9 | England | Grades 4–9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 74 | 100% | 88% | 14% | 22% | 80% |
| Combined Science | 56 | 76% | 65% | 32% | 9% | 91% |
| Geography | 29 | 39% | 41% | 41% | 25% | 97% |
| Business Studies | 29 | 39% | 18% | 28% | 20% | 90% |
| Photography | 23 | 31% | 6% | 52% | 19% | 100% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 21 | 28% | 8% | 14% | 21% | 100% |
| Spanish | 21 | 28% | 19% | 33% | 27% | 95% |
| History | 19 | 26% | 41% | 37% | 26% | 89% |
| Drama | 18 | 24% | 7% | 44% | 27% | 94% |
| Physics | 18 | 24% | 23% | 44% | 46% | 94% |
| Biology | 18 | 24% | 23% | 39% | 45% | 94% |
| Chemistry | 17 | 23% | 23% | 59% | 47% | 100% |
| Religious Studies | 17 | 23% | 31% | 35% | 32% | 100% |
| Fine Art | 15 | 20% | 9% | 40% | 28% | 100% |
| Physical Education | 11 | 15% | 11% | 36% | 24% | 91% |
| Design and Technology | 10 | 14% | 11% | 50% | 23% | 90% |
| Computer Science | 9 | 12% | 13% | 44% | 30% | 100% |
| Classical Civilisation | 8 | 11% | 1% | 38% | 40% | 88% |
| French | 7 | 9% | 18% | 43% | 29% | 100% |
| Latin | 5 | 7% | 1% | — | 74% | — |
| Music | 4 | 5% | 5% | — | 33% | — |
| Textiles | 4 | 5% | 2% | — | 27% | — |
| German | 4 | 5% | 5% | — | 33% | — |
| Dance | 3 | 4% | 1% | — | 27% | — |
| Chinese | 2 | 3% | 1% | — | 75% | — |
| Statistics | 1 | 1% | 5% | — | 20% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Additional Mathematics FSMQ | 1 | 2% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Westholme School | Blackburn with Darwen | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 103 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 62 | 406 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | B- | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 36.87 | 32.70 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | B- | C+ | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 18% | 14% | 18% |
| Average grade, applied general courses | — | — | — |
| Average grade, T levels | — | — | — |
A level subjects
Entries as a share of A level students, compared with the share across England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 22 | 35% | 31% |
| Chemistry | 19 | 31% | 17% |
| Biology | 14 | 23% | 20% |
| Business Studies | 13 | 21% | 13% |
| Drama | 10 | 16% | 2% |
| Psychology | 10 | 16% | 23% |
| Geography | 8 | 13% | 10% |
| Physics | 8 | 13% | 12% |
| English Language | 8 | 13% | 4% |
| Sociology | 7 | 11% | 13% |
| Economics | 7 | 11% | 13% |
| English Literature | 7 | 11% | 11% |
| Religious Studies | 7 | 11% | 4% |
| Spanish | — | — | 2% |
| Photography | — | — | 3% |
| Classical Civilisation | — | — | 1% |
| Computer Science | — | — | 5% |
| Dance | — | — | 0% |
| Product Design | — | — | 2% |
| Fine Art | — | — | 3% |
| History | — | — | 13% |
| Latin | — | — | 0% |
| Further Mathematics | — | — | 5% |
| Music | — | — | 0% |
| Music Technology | — | — | 0% |
| Physical Education | — | — | 3% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Science | VRQ Level 3 | 12 | 19% | — |
| Psychology | GCE AS level (All) | 10 | 16% | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 9 | 15% | — |
| Economics | GCE AS level (All) | 7 | 11% | — |
| Sociology | GCE AS level (All) | 7 | 11% | — |
| Physics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Physics | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
Where Westholme School is
Other secondary schools in Blackburn with Darwen are shown for comparison; darker blue means more Year 11 leavers stayed in education. The last distance at which this school offered places is not yet on file — it comes from Blackburn with Darwen’s allocation statistics.
Other secondary schools in Blackburn with Darwen
Darwen Aldridge Community Academy
Academy sponsor led · sixth form · 1,036 pupils
80% stayed in education · Attainment 8 36.5
Darwen Aldridge Enterprise Studio
Studio schools · sixth form · 275 pupils
87% stayed in education · Attainment 8 34.7
Darwen Vale High School
Academy sponsor led · 1,039 pupils
75% stayed in education · Attainment 8 43.1
Pleckgate High School
Academy sponsor led · 1,339 pupils
85% stayed in education · Attainment 8 49.2
Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School
Free schools · sixth form · 873 pupils
86% stayed in education · Attainment 8 47.0
Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.