St James' Church of England Primary School
Voluntary aided primary school in Darwen (Blackburn with Darwen).
Location
iSchool location from Get Information about Schools. Nearby schools are coloured by phase. Open Map+ for a full-screen map with neighbourhood deprivation (England only).About
My name is Miss Tindall and I have the privilege of being the Headteacher at St. James Church of England Primary School, Lower Darwen. I ve worked at St. James for almost a decade, and it's been an honour to grow within this wonderful community - from my early days as a student teacher, to class teacher, then Deputy Head, SENCo and now as Headteacher.
It is a true privilege to have seen the school through so many chapters and to continue leading it forward. We are a Church of England Primary School serving an amazing community, working together with the Church, Diocese and other local partners to help all members of our school family to flourish.
Hopefully, as you navigate your way around these pages, you will see exactly what it means to flourish.
In the school’s own words, from the school website.
Enrichment
11 activitiesiFound on the school website by WhatSchool. Not verified by Governance Register; the school website is the authority.- Choir
- Computing
- Creative Writing
- Cross Country
- Dance
- Drama
- Football
- Lego
- Music
- Netball
- Yoga
Awards
1 awardiFound on the school website by WhatSchool. Not verified by Governance Register; the school website is the authority.- Sing UpRecognised award
Key facts
- URN
- 119503
- Type
- Voluntary aided school
- Phase
- Primary
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Sixth form
- Does not have a sixth form
- Nursery
- No Nursery Classes
- Local authority
- Blackburn with Darwen
- Constituency
- Rossendale and Darwen
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Governing body (8 current, 2 former)
Maintained school governing body.
Leadership
| Name | Role | How appointed | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mr Andrew Cole | Chair of Governors | Appointed by GB/board | since 2025 · until 2029 |
Full governing body
| Name | Role | How appointed | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miss Claire Louise Slater | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2026 · until 2030 |
| Miss Kelsey Stirling | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2026 · until 2030 |
| Miss Sophie Leighanne Harry | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Mrs Carole Tatham | Governor | Nominated by other body and appointed by GB | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Mrs Charlotte Cassidy-Garner | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2023 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
| Miss Melissa Jane Tindall | Governor | Ex-officio by virtue of office as headteacher/principal | since 2023 |
| Rev Rebecca Roberts | Governor | Ex-officio foundation governor (appointed by foundation by virtue of the office they hold) | since 2021 |
| Mrs Lorraine Bracken Former | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2023 · term ended 2026 |
| Lillian Salton Former | Governor | Nominated by LA and appointed by GB | since 2014 · term ended 2026 |
Source: Department for Education, Get Information about Schools (governance records, as at 25 October 2026). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Names are shown as published; there are no addresses or contact details. Current and former are worked out from term end dates when the page loads. Object or ask for removal · Report an issue with this record