Blackburn Central High School
Academy converter · 1,015 pupils
81% stayed in education · Attainment 8 41.0
Academy converter
Witton Park Academy
- Pupils on roll
- 1,243of 1,230 places
- Free school meals
- 41.8%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 262
- Ofsted
- Report card, 24 February 2026Read the Ofsted report
Curriculum and teaching Needs attentionAchievement Needs attentionAttendance and behaviour Needs attentionPersonal development and wellbeing Needs attentionInclusion Needs attentionLeadership and governance Needs attentionPost-16 provision Not applicableSafeguarding Met
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Witton Park High School (URN 119730, until 1 May 2014).
What the data says
Witton Park Academy has no sixth form. Of the 252 pupils who finished Year 11 there in 2023, 13% moved to a sixth form college and 67% to a further education college.
GCSE results in 2025 were below the national picture: Attainment 8 of 40.3 against 46.1 across England and 45.4 in Blackburn with Darwen, with 37% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
10% of leavers were not in sustained education, employment or training six months on, compared with 6% nationally.
Religious Studies is unusually popular at GCSE: 68% of the year group took it, against 31% of pupils across England.
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.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Witton Park Academy | Blackburn with Darwen | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 252 | 2,152 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 87% | 88% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 85% | 83% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 4% | 17% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 13% | 12% | 13% |
| — further education college | 67% | 52% | 37% |
| — other education | 0% | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | — | 3% | 3% |
| Employment | 2% | 2% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 10% | 9% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 4% | 3% | 3% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Witton Park Academy | Blackburn with Darwen | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 40.3 | 45.4 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 37% | 44% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 57% | 63% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 32% | 39% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.49 | 3.98 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 41% | 30% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 31.5 | 35.5 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 46.5 | 49.7 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 65% | 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 | 261 | 100% | 88% | 15% | 22% | 61% |
| English Language | 259 | 99% | 89% | 19% | 20% | 66% |
| English Literature | 242 | 92% | 86% | 20% | 21% | 74% |
| Combined Science | 182 | 69% | 65% | 2% | 9% | 44% |
| Religious Studies | 177 | 68% | 31% | 16% | 32% | 63% |
| Geography | 135 | 52% | 41% | 7% | 25% | 38% |
| History | 114 | 44% | 41% | 11% | 26% | 52% |
| French | 82 | 31% | 18% | 5% | 29% | 49% |
| Psychology | 79 | 30% | 3% | 18% | 22% | 67% |
| Physics | 71 | 27% | 23% | 41% | 46% | 85% |
| Biology | 61 | 23% | 23% | 36% | 45% | 98% |
| Chemistry | 60 | 23% | 23% | 47% | 47% | 100% |
| Physical Education | 35 | 13% | 11% | 6% | 24% | 37% |
| Fine Art | 25 | 10% | 9% | 8% | 28% | 48% |
| Computer Science | 20 | 8% | 13% | 20% | 30% | 80% |
| Media Studies | 11 | 4% | 4% | 9% | 20% | 45% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 6 | 2% | 8% | 0% | 21% | 50% |
| Arabic | 3 | 1% | 1% | — | 47% | — |
| Polish | 2 | 1% | 1% | — | 84% | — |
| Italian | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 53% | — |
| Art and Design | 1 | 0% | 7% | — | 24% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering Studies | 43 | — | — |
| Religious Studies | 15 | — | — |
| Sports Studies | 13 | — | — |
| Dance: General | 12 | — | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 1 | — | — |
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.