Our Lady and St John RC High School, a Voluntary Academy
- Secondary
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages 11 to 16
- Roman Catholic
URN 150308 · Blackburn with Darwen · ROMERO CATHOLIC ACADEMY TRUST
Inspection
Ofsted management information, as at 30 September 2026.
Latest graded inspection
16 May 2023Overall effectiveness
Requires improvement
- Quality of education
- Requires improvement
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Requires improvement
- Personal development
- Requires improvement
- Leadership and management
- Requires improvement
- Safeguarding is effective
- Yes
This inspection was of the predecessor school, before it converted or reopened under its current URN.
Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 3
Under the earlier framework, inspections gave an overall effectiveness grade.
Read the reports on Ofsted’s website. Source: Ofsted, State-funded school inspections and outcomes: management information.
Attendance
Against Blackburn with Darwen and England, secondary schools.
Overall absence
2024/2513.8%
- Blackburn with Darwen
- 8.4%
- England
- 8.4%
5.4 percentage points higher than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Blackburn with Darwen | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | Not published | 5.5% | 5.5% |
| 2018/19 | Not published | 5.2% | 5.5% |
| 2020/21 | Not published | 5.9% | 5.5% |
| 2021/22 | Not published | 8.7% | 9.0% |
| 2022/23 | Not published | 9.2% | 9.0% |
| 2023/24 | 14.8% | 8.9% | 8.9% |
| 2024/25 | 13.8% | 8.4% | 8.4% |
Sessions missed for any reason, as a share of all possible sessions in the school year. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25.
Persistent absence
2024/2540.5%
- Blackburn with Darwen
- 24.5%
- England
- 23.4%
17.1 percentage points higher than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Blackburn with Darwen | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | Not published | 14.5% | 13.9% |
| 2018/19 | Not published | 13.5% | 13.7% |
| 2020/21 | Not published | 16.5% | 14.8% |
| 2021/22 | Not published | 28.6% | 27.7% |
| 2022/23 | Not published | 29.2% | 26.5% |
| 2023/24 | 43.7% | 27.2% | 25.6% |
| 2024/25 | 40.5% | 24.5% | 23.4% |
Pupils who missed 10% or more of their possible sessions, as a share of pupils. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25.
Severe absence
2024/258.0%
- Blackburn with Darwen
- 3.4%
- England
- 3.9%
4.1 percentage points higher than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Blackburn with Darwen | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | Not published | 1.0% | 1.2% |
| 2018/19 | Not published | 1.0% | 1.3% |
| 2020/21 | Not published | 1.6% | 1.5% |
| 2021/22 | Not published | 2.6% | 2.7% |
| 2022/23 | Not published | 3.4% | 3.4% |
| 2023/24 | 8.6% | 3.8% | 3.8% |
| 2024/25 | 8.0% | 3.4% | 3.9% |
Pupils who missed 50% or more of their possible sessions, as a share of pupils. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25.
Suspensions and permanent exclusions
Against Blackburn with Darwen and England, secondary schools.
Suspensions per 100 pupils
2024/25102.34
- Blackburn with Darwen
- 23.01
- England
- 21.24
81.10 higher than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Blackburn with Darwen | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | Not published | 4.57 | 10.13 |
| 2018/19 | Not published | 4.74 | 10.75 |
| 2019/20 | Not published | 4.12 | 7.43 |
| 2020/21 | Not published | 5.44 | 8.48 |
| 2021/22 | Not published | 10.71 | 13.96 |
| 2022/23 | Not published | 13.46 | 18.90 |
| 2023/24 | 97.56 | 19.70 | 22.61 |
| 2024/25 | 102.34 | 23.01 | 21.24 |
Suspensions in the school year for every 100 pupils on roll. One pupil can be suspended more than once. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, 2024/25.
Permanent exclusions per 100 pupils
2024/251.23
- Blackburn with Darwen
- 0.33
- England
- 0.23
1.00 higher than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Blackburn with Darwen | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | Not published | 0.06 | 0.20 |
| 2018/19 | Not published | 0.09 | 0.20 |
| 2019/20 | Not published | 0.17 | 0.13 |
| 2020/21 | Not published | 0.06 | 0.10 |
| 2021/22 | Not published | 0.15 | 0.16 |
| 2022/23 | Not published | 0.25 | 0.22 |
| 2023/24 | 1.10 | 0.30 | 0.25 |
| 2024/25 | 1.23 | 0.33 | 0.23 |
Permanent exclusions in the school year for every 100 pupils on roll. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, 2024/25.
Key stage 4 results
Against Blackburn with Darwen and England, secondary schools.
Attainment 8
2025/26 (provisional)36.6
- Blackburn with Darwen
- 45.1
- England
- 47.4
10.8 lower than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Blackburn with Darwen | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | Not published | 47.5 | 49.8 |
| 2022/23 | Not published | 45.8 | 47.2 |
| 2023/24 | Not published | 44.8 | 46.9 |
| 2024/25 | 37.2 | 46.3 | 47.1 |
| 2025/26 (provisional) | 36.6 | 45.1 | 47.4 |
The average of pupils' points across eight GCSE-level qualifications, with English and maths counted twice. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Key stage 4 performance, 2025/26.
English and maths: grade 4 or above
2025/26 (provisional)41%
- Blackburn with Darwen
- 62%
- England
- 66%
25 percentage points lower than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Blackburn with Darwen | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | Not published | 69% | 70% |
| 2022/23 | Not published | 65% | 67% |
| 2023/24 | Not published | 63% | 67% |
| 2024/25 | 42% | 65% | 66% |
| 2025/26 (provisional) | 41% | 62% | 66% |
Pupils at the end of key stage 4 with grade 4 or above in both English and maths. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Key stage 4 performance, 2025/26.
English and maths: grade 5 or above
2025/26 (provisional)25%
- Blackburn with Darwen
- 44%
- England
- 48%
23 percentage points lower than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Blackburn with Darwen | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | Not published | 48% | 51% |
| 2022/23 | Not published | 45% | 46% |
| 2023/24 | Not published | 45% | 47% |
| 2024/25 | 23% | 45% | 47% |
| 2025/26 (provisional) | 25% | 44% | 48% |
Pupils at the end of key stage 4 with grade 5 or above in both English and maths. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Key stage 4 performance, 2025/26.
Pupils
Against Blackburn with Darwen and England, secondary schools.
Eligible for free school meals
2024/2544.3%
- Blackburn with Darwen
- 26.9%
- England
- 25.8%
18.5 percentage points higher than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Blackburn with Darwen | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | Not published | 23.8% | 20.9% |
| 2022/23 | Not published | 24.3% | 22.7% |
| 2023/24 | 43.7% | 25.7% | 24.1% |
| 2024/25 | 44.3% | 26.9% | 25.8% |
Pupils known to be eligible for free school meals on census day in January. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, 2024/25.
SEN support
2024/2522.3%
- Blackburn with Darwen
- 14.3%
- England
- 13.4%
8.9 percentage points higher than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Blackburn with Darwen | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | Not published | 12.8% | 11.9% |
| 2022/23 | Not published | 13.0% | 12.4% |
| 2023/24 | 26.9% | 13.7% | 12.9% |
| 2024/25 | 22.3% | 14.3% | 13.4% |
Pupils receiving special educational needs support without an education, health and care plan. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, 2024/25.
Education, health and care plan
2024/252.2%
- Blackburn with Darwen
- 2.2%
- England
- 3.1%
0.9 percentage points lower than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Blackburn with Darwen | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | Not published | 1.4% | 2.2% |
| 2022/23 | Not published | 1.7% | 2.4% |
| 2023/24 | 1.5% | 1.8% | 2.7% |
| 2024/25 | 2.2% | 2.2% | 3.1% |
Pupils with an education, health and care plan. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, 2024/25.
First language other than English
2024/2534.4%
- Blackburn with Darwen
- 31.6%
- England
- 19.2%
15.2 percentage points higher than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Blackburn with Darwen | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | Not published | 29.8% | 17.5% |
| 2022/23 | Not published | 29.2% | 18.1% |
| 2023/24 | 33.5% | 30.4% | 18.6% |
| 2024/25 | 34.4% | 31.6% | 19.2% |
Pupils whose first language is known or believed to be other than English. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, 2024/25.
Teachers
Against Blackburn with Darwen and England, secondary schools.
Pupils per qualified teacher
2025/2618.3
- Blackburn with Darwen
- 17.0
- England
- 17.3
1.0 higher than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Blackburn with Darwen | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | Not published | 15.2 | 16.5 |
| 2018/19 | Not published | 15.3 | 16.8 |
| 2019/20 | Not published | 16.1 | 17.2 |
| 2020/21 | Not published | 16.2 | 17.1 |
| 2021/22 | Not published | 16.2 | 17.1 |
| 2022/23 | Not published | 17.0 | 17.2 |
| 2023/24 | Not published | 16.5 | 17.4 |
| 2024/25 | 16.9 | 16.7 | 17.3 |
| 2025/26 | 18.3 | 17.0 | 17.3 |
Full-time equivalent pupils for each full-time equivalent qualified teacher. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, School workforce in England, 2025/26.
Teacher sickness absence
2024/257.2 days
- Blackburn with Darwen
- 5.4 days
- England
- 5.0 days
2.2 days higher than England.
Compared with all state-funded schools: DfE publishes this measure for all schools, not by phase.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Blackburn with Darwen | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | Not published | 4.4 days | 4.0 days |
| 2018/19 | Not published | 4.5 days | 4.0 days |
| 2019/20 | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| 2020/21 | Not published | 3.9 days | 3.9 days |
| 2021/22 | Not published | 6.4 days | 6.3 days |
| 2022/23 | Not published | 5.8 days | 5.2 days |
| 2023/24 | 4.4 days | 5.2 days | 5.3 days |
| 2024/25 | 7.2 days | 5.4 days | 5.0 days |
Days lost to sickness absence in the school year, averaged across all teachers. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, School workforce in England, 2024/25.
Finance
Academies report their accounts as part of their trust, so DfE publishes no school-level balance for this school. The trust’s figures are in DfE’s Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool.
See this school in the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool
About the school
- Pupils on roll
- 770
- Capacity
- 821
- Type
- Academy sponsor led
- Phase
- Secondary
- Age range
- 11 to 16
- Sixth form
- Does not have a sixth form
- Admissions
- Non-selective
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- ROMERO CATHOLIC ACADEMY TRUST
- Opened
- 1 December 2023
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Constituency
- Blackburn
- Deprivation of the area (IDACI)
- Decile 1 of 10 (1 is the most deprived tenth of neighbourhoods)
Sources and corrections
Every figure on this page names its source and period. This release was built on 20 October 2026.
- Department for Education: Get Information about Schools: establishment data (GIAS establishment extract 2026-10-20)
- Ofsted: State-funded school inspections and outcomes: management information (Latest inspections as at 2026-09-30; All inspections, 2018/19; All inspections, 2019/20; All inspections, 2020/21; All inspections, 2021/22; All inspections, 2022/23; All inspections, 2023/24; All inspections, 2024/25; All inspections, 2025/26)
- Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics: Pupil absence in schools in England (absence-3term-school, 2013/14 to 2024/25 [pinned data set id])
- Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics: Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England (exc-school, 2006/07 to 2024/25 [pinned data set id]; exc-ap-school, 2013/14 to 2024/25 [pinned data set id]; exc-geography, 2006/07 to 2024/25 [pinned data set id]; exc-ap-geography, 2013/14 to 2024/25 [pinned data set id])
- Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics: Key stage 2 attainment (ks2-school, 2022/23 to 2024/25 [pinned data set id]; ks2-geography, 2015/16 to 2025/26 [pinned data set id])
- Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics: Key stage 4 performance (ks4-school, 2023/24 to 2025/26 [pinned data set id]; ks4-geography, 2018/19 to 2025/26 [pinned data set id])
- Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics: Schools, pupils and their characteristics (School census, January 2022 (performance tables, 2021 to 2022); School census, January 2023 (performance tables, 2022 to 2023); School census, January 2024 (performance tables, 2023 to 2024); School census, January 2025 (performance tables, 2024 to 2025))
- Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics: School workforce in England (ptr-school, 2010/11 to 2025/26 [pinned data set id]; ptr-geography, 2010/11 to 2025/26 [pinned data set id]; sickness-school, 2009/10 to 2024/25 [pinned data set id]; sickness-geography, 2009/10 to 2024/25 [pinned data set id])
- Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: English indices of deprivation 2025: Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (English indices of deprivation 2025, File 7 (2021 LSOAs))
Spotted something wrong? Report a correction with the school’s URN (150308). Fixes go out in the next weekly release.