Secondary Education and St. Alban's.

 The parish has been involved in the education of Catholic children throughout its 236 years of existence. With regards to secondary education St Alban's was only the second parish in the diocese to offer education for boys beyond the elementary stage , The Education Act 1870 aimed to provide compulsory education for pupils up to the age of 11.  . A Higher Grade school was one that began by adding of classes to the Elementary School so that pupils could stay on to pursuit their education, usually to the age of 14. At this time secondary education was not compulsory, but designated Secondary Schools that did exist were normally fee-paying, and too expensive for working class children. The Higher Grades still charged a modest fee, and were made up of the more-able pupils in the Elementary School. Eventually the higher grade schools split from the elementary schools altogether. when a 'Higher Grade' school opened at 24 St. Alban's Place, a large house next door to the church in September 1884.

Throughout its history the secondary boys school next door to the church was always known as 'The Higher Grade', but in truth it became St. Alban's Secondary Modern School for Boys following the Education Act 1944.

With the re-organisation of Catholic Secondary Education for Blackburn in 1971 St Alban's R.C. Secondary Modern School for Boys amalgamated with Marymount R.C. Secondary Modern School for Girls to form John Rigby R.C. High School. The site of the new school was on North Road, For the first time secondary education for boys moved beyond the parish boundary.

Under the new comprehensive system pupils from the Catholic primary schools in the east of Blackburn were to transfer to John Rigby R.C. High School. If they intended to do a full course of G.C.S.E. O' levels and intended to progress to A' levels then they were allowed to transfer to St. Mary's College or Notre Dame Grammar School at the age of 14. With few pupils wishing to make that transfer John Rigby had to offer a wide range of O' levels as well as C.S.E. examinations to provide for the pupils' needs. This proved fortuitous, as two years after the school had opened the leaving age was raised from 15 to 16. Even at the age of 16 many pupils were reluctant to continue their studies elsewhere, and so the school began to offer a range of A' level courses, and became an 11-18 school. Strong links were maintained with St. Alban's parish, especially as the first Chair of Governors was Canon George Hughes, the parish priest.

In 1980 the school was re-named St. John Rigby R.C. High School, and it was at this time that a further re-organisation of secondary education took place. As St. Mary's College and Notre Dame Grammar School were to loose their 'direct grant' status the diocese decided, after much consultation, that the two schools should be incorporated into the Blackburn system, with 'voluntary aided' status. As a result Notre Dame was to become a mixed high school, whilst St. Mary's College was to become a Sixth Form College. With this, secondary education for boys returned, although only temporarily, to the parish. Notre Dame ceased to be a girls' grammar school and now had a 'comprehensive' intake of girls and boys.

In 1987, however, yet more change occurred when it was found that in their current state the buildings at Notre Dame were no longer suitable for its purpose and so the school amalgamated with St. John Rigby with further development of the North Road site. The names of both previous schools were maintained in the new title, Our Lady and St. John R.C. High School.

In 2002 the school gained 'specialist college' status, and a slight change was made to its title. It was now known as Our Lady and St. John Catholic Arts College. Our Lady and St. John Rigby remain the patron saints of the school. Most pupils from St. Alban's Primary School transfer there at the age of 11, and the present Chair of Governors remains our parish priest, Canon Jude Harrison.

It should also be remembered that since our two parishes joined to form one new parish we can now claim to have educational links with schools and colleges with students up to the age of nineteen and beyond.

St. Mary's College , one a direct grammar school for boys, and administered by the Marist Fathers, is now a college for post-16 pupils. Its main feeder schools are many of the Catholic secondary schools of East Lancashire. Besides taking students at the age of 16+ it also provides link courses with local Catholic secondary schools, and with its links with Hope University, Liverpool it provides courses for adults up to degree level.

It is clear that a person can receive a formal life-long education without leaving the parish or its environs.