Darwen St James CofE Primary Academy is a primary academy in Darwen, United Kingdom with 181 pupils, part of Cidari Education Limited. Ofsted: Inadequate, inspected 22 February 2023. As of 10 November 2026 it is advertising 1 vacancy: Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA) (closes 13 November).
Listed on EduAtlas: the school’s official record and its live vacancies. 1 live vacancy.
Head
Laura Peckson, Headteacher
Trust or group
Cidari Education Limited
Type
Academy, Primary
Pupils
181 pupils · 59% girls · 34.0% eligible for free school meals · 34.0% with English as an additional language DfE school census, 2025/26
Special needs
38 (18.7%) on SEN support · 11 (5.4%) with an education, health and care plan DfE, Special educational needs in England, 2025/26
Inadequate, inspected 22 February 2023 Since then: Taking effective action towards the removal of special measures (ungraded inspection, 5 November 2024)
Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA)12 hours per week, Part Time (Tuesday and Wednesdays)Fixed Term until 31st August 2027Term Time Only - 44.67 weeks per year Darwen St James’…
Exam results
Year
KS2 expected
KS2 higher
2024/25
37%
0%
2023/24
28%
0%
2022/23
19%
0%
Department for Education performance tables.
Inspections
Date
Inspection
Outcome
5 November 2024
Ungraded inspection
Taking effective action towards the removal of special measures
24 April 2024
Ungraded inspection
Taking effective action towards the removal of special measures
22 February 2023
Graded inspection
Inadequate
Ofsted. Inspections graded schools Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement or Inadequate until August 2024. From September 2024 there were no overall grades; since November 2025 a report card grades each area: exceptional, strong standard, expected standard, needs attention or urgent improvement.
Staff
Year
Teachers
Pupils per teacher
Leavers
Vacancies
Average pay
2025/26
9.0
20.1
–
0
£48,452
2024/25
7.6
23.0
21%
0
£49,415
2023/24
6.8
28.1
18%
0
£48,293
2022/23
7.4
28.3
14%
0
£43,346
2021/22
8.2
23.7
12%
0
£39,533
2020/21
8.6
19.9
0%
0
£37,773
Earlier years (2014/15 to 2019/20)
Year
Teachers
Pupils per teacher
Leavers
Vacancies
Average pay
2019/20
7.7
23.8
0%
0
£37,277
2018/19
7.7
24.0
13%
0
£35,014
2017/18
7.6
23.0
13%
0
£36,534
2016/17
7.6
20.5
0%
0
£39,011
2015/16
7.6
23.5
8%
0
£38,057
2014/15
10.6
15.1
43%
0
£37,748
Department for Education, School Workforce Census. Teachers are full-time equivalent. "Leavers" is the share of teachers who moved to another state school or left state schools by the following November, so the latest year has none yet. Vacancies are posts vacant or filled temporarily on census day in November. Average pay is for all teachers, leaders included.
Attendance
Year
Sessions missed
Unauthorised
Persistently absent
Severely absent
2025/26
7.9%
2.6%
26.2%
4.8%
2024/25
7.7%
2.2%
30.6%
3.8%
2023/24
9.3%
3.9%
33.3%
3.1%
2022/23
7.0%
2.2%
27.5%
1.8%
2021/22
8.6%
2.2%
34.6%
2.5%
2020/21
6.7%
3.3%
22.0%
6.3%
Earlier years (2016/17 to 2018/19)
Year
Sessions missed
Unauthorised
Persistently absent
Severely absent
2018/19
9.1%
5.2%
29.4%
3.9%
2017/18
10.1%
5.5%
35.1%
7.3%
2016/17
9.2%
6.5%
34.1%
2.3%
Department for Education, pupil absence statistics, autumn and spring terms of each year so years compare. Persistently absent: share of pupils who missed 10% or more of sessions. Severely absent: share who missed half or more. There are no figures for 2019/20 (school closures).
Hiring history
2 past vacancies seen since May 2026: 1 teaching, 1 support. Most often advertised: Class Teacher, Teaching Assistant with Welfare Responsibilities. Last advertised September 2026.
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Register details and head: Department for Education, Get Information about Schools. Results: Department for Education performance tables. Vacancies: public job services and the school's own website, checked continuously. Nothing here is estimated.