Schools by area › Blackburn with Darwen › Pleckgate High School
Pleckgate High School
Secondary · Mixed · Ages 11–16 · Sponsored academy
Pleckgate Road, Blackburn BB1 8QA · pleckgate.com · 01254 249134
Overview
- Ofsted
- Outstanding
- 2019 framework · inspected Jun 2024
- GCSEs, 2024/25
- 49.2
- average Attainment 8 score. Blackburn with Darwen 45.4, England 46
- Demand for places
- 1.1
- first choices for each place · Year 7, September 2026
- Pupils
- 1,339
- 99% of 1,350 places
- Local authority
- Blackburn with Darwen
- Sixth form
- No
- Admissions
- Non-selective
- Free school meals
- 24.1%
- First language not English
- 26.7%
- School census 2025/26
The official school record (Department for Education)
Admissions
For Year 7 in September 2026, 281 families put the school first and 265 places were offered; 78% of those families were offered a place there. Admission depends on the school’s own rules.
First choices against places
| Year 7 | Places | First choices | Per place | % offered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2026Sept 2026 | 265 | 281 | 1.1▲ | 78% |
| September 2025Sept 2025 | 268 | 244 | 0.9 | 84% |
| September 2024Sept 2024 | 262 | 237 | 0.9 | 81% |
| September 2023Sept 2023 | 264 | 195 | 0.7 | 89% |
| September 2022Sept 2022 | 274 | 171 | 0.6 | 99% |
Results
In 2024/25 the average Attainment 8 score at GCSE was 49.2, and 47.1% of pupils got grade 5 or above in English and maths. Across Blackburn with Darwen it was 45.4, and across England 46.
GCSE results
Attainment 8
| 2024/25 | Trend | School | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| ▲49.2 | 46.0 | ||
| ●47.1% | 45.4% | ||
| ▲71.2% | 64.8% | ||
| ▲44.2% | 40.5% | ||
| ●4.26 | 4.09 |
Where Year 11 leavers went
| Left in 2023/24 | Since 2021/22 | |
|---|---|---|
| School sixth form | 10 | +3.3 |
| Sixth form college | 15.8 | +1.1 |
| Further education | 61.4 | −2.6 |
| Other education | 0.8 | −0.5 |
| Apprenticeship | 0.8 | −1.4 |
| Employment | 0.8 | −0.5 |
| Not in a lasting destination | 8.1 | +1.4 |
| Activity not captured | 2.3 | −0.8 |
Ofsted
Pleckgate High School was judged Outstanding at its last graded inspection, on 5 June 2024, under Ofsted’s 2019 framework.
- Overall
- Outstanding
- Inspected
- 5 Jun 2024
- Graded inspection
Safeguarding effectiveInspection reports
Graded areas
| Quality of education | Outstanding |
|---|---|
| Behaviour and attitudes | Outstanding |
| Personal development | Outstanding |
| Leadership and management | Outstanding |
Previously: Concerns, ungraded inspection, Mar 2023
Earlier inspections
Including inspections of the predecessor school (URN 119715), which Ofsted links to this one.
September 2019 to November 2025
Mar 2023Ungraded inspectionConcerns
Safeguarding Effective
Before September 2019
Jan 2019Outstanding
Outcomes for pupils Outstanding Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Safeguarding Effective Feb 2015Requires improvement
Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement Leadership and management Good Inspection of the predecessor school (URN 119715)
What parents said
74% of the parents who answered Ofsted’s Parent View survey would recommend the school (53 replies, to 7 April 2025).
- Recommend
- 74%
- Replies
- 53
- 4% · 7 Apr 2025
based on the 87% who raised concerns
based on the 57% who had a child bullied
based on 16 parents (30%) with SEND