Ark Blacklands Primary Academy
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Ark Blacklands Primary Academy is a sponsored academy in Hastings for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 623 pupils and room for 630. About 21 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit fewer than at most schools. We give it 97 out of 100. That puts it well above schools like it, ahead of 98% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was outstanding, back in 2023.
Osborne Close, Freshwater Avenue, Hastings, TN34 2HU01424 429279arkblacklandsprimary.orgMrs Mary Quinn head of schoolAll details
What Ofsted found
A shorter visit on 8 March 2023 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Outstanding overall. A shorter follow-up visit found nothing to change that. The last full inspection was before September 2019, which is as far back as Ofsted's public records go, so we can't show its date or the grades for each area.
Results
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025
87 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | East Sussex | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 87 | 88 | 87 | 74 | 75 | 74 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 92% | 86% | 85% | 78% | 85% | 74% | 61% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | 14% | 16% | 11% | 24% | 21% | 11% | 6% | 8% |
| Reading scoreReading average scaled score | 110.0 | 109.0 | 109.0 | 108.0 | 107.0 | 106.0 | 105.5 | 105.6 |
| Maths scoreMaths average scaled score | 108.0 | 107.0 | 107.0 | 107.0 | 108.0 | 106.0 | 103.9 | 104.6 |
| Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score | 107.0 | 105.0 | 105.0 | 108.0 | 108.0 | 107.0 | 103.5 | 105.2 |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | 97% | 92% | 93% | 81% | 88% | 80% | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | 93% | 90% | 90% | 88% | 88% | 84% | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | 95% | 90% | 91% | 91% | 91% | 86% | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | +2.5 | +3.0 | +4.0 | +3.1 | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | +1.2 | +1.5 | +5.4 | +4.3 | – | – |
| Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged | 85% | 78% | 81% | 73% | 77% | 59% | – | – |
| Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged | 95% | 90% | 87% | 81% | 87% | 81% | – | – |
There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.
Does every child do well here?
A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 1 of the 4 gaps is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.
At the end of primary school, 2025
Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.
Getting a place
Admissions policy not published.
Fewer than one place in twenty is empty, so in most years more families apply than there are places. Living close by, or already having a child here, makes a real difference. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.
In 2026 every child who applied got a place, so how far away you live didn't matter. That could change if the school gets more popular.
We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.
How places were given out for September 2026. Every child who applied got a place (90 offers for 90 places). 85 families put it down as their first choice and 81 of them got in (95%).
| Entry | Places | Put it first | Applied at all | Got a place | First choices who got in | How far the last child lived | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Primary | 90 | 85 | 181 | 90 | 95% | – all offered | LA |
Who goes here
Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.
Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 30.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 29.4 (England 27.3).
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Other difficulty or disability (36), Autistic spectrum disorder (26), language and communications needs (14), emotional and mental health (12), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (9), Moderate learning difficulty (6).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 623 | 627 | 616 | 629 | 623 | 606 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 21% | 21% | 23% | 24% | 21% | 19% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 11% | 13% | 3% | 2% | 0% | 7% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 18% | 12% | 11% | 7% | 5% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.9% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 5.1% | 5.7% | 5.3% | 5.6% | 3.1% | 3.8% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 3.7% | 3.8% | 3.7% | 4.6% | 2.6% | 3.1% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 1.4% | 1.9% | 1.6% | 1.0% | 0.6% | 0.7% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 11.4% | 15.5% | 12.8% | 14.2% | 7.3% | 7.1% | 12.8% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 1.6 | 2.1 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.2 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.
The area around the school
Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.
Nearby schools
The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mulberry Baird Primary | Academy | 870 m | 276 | Requires improvement 2024 | 3 | Compare |
| St Paul's Church of England Academy | Academy | 0.7 miles | 634 | Good 2024 | 59 | Compare |
| Ark Castledown Primary Academy | Academy | 0.8 miles | 403 | Report card 2025 | 64 | Compare |
| Mulberry Silverdale Primary | Academy | 0.9 miles | 618 | Good 2023 | 25 | Compare |
| Christ Church CofE Primary and Nursery Academy | Academy | 0.9 miles | 428 | Not inspected | 14 | Compare |
| St Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School | Academy | 0.9 miles | 201 | Good 2024 | – | Compare |
| Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School | Academy | 1.1 miles | – | Good 2023 | – | Compare |
| Dudley Infant Academy | Academy | 1.2 miles | 169 | Good 2019 | 28 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares Ark Blacklands Primary Academy with the 49 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 49 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.
No school with a similar mix of pupils within 25 km scores clearly higher.
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 97 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 97% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 94 to 98. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.
| What we looked at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 25% | well above | +0.29 | 2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 87 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 19% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old) | well above | +0.40 | Ofsted grade, 3.5 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | above | +0.14 | DfE progress measure; 87 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | in line | +0.03 | results and attendance rising year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | in line | +0.02 | 2024/25; 544 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | well above | +0.18 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 87 pupils |
| What parents say | 0% | no data | – |
Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.
Questions parents ask
Is Ark Blacklands Primary Academy a good school?
Yes, going by the figures. Ark Blacklands Primary Academy scores 97 out of 100. That is well above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 98% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 94 to 98, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.
What is Ark Blacklands Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Ark Blacklands Primary Academy outstanding at its last full inspection on 8 March 2023.
How good are Ark Blacklands Primary Academy's SATs results?
In summer 2025, 92% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 14% went further and reached the higher level.
How many pupils does Ark Blacklands Primary Academy have?
623 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 630 places, so it is 99% full.
Is Ark Blacklands Primary Academy oversubscribed?
Often. Fewer than one place in twenty was empty in 2024/25, so popular year groups fill up.
What is attendance like at Ark Blacklands Primary Academy?
Pupils were in school 94.9% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 11% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at Ark Blacklands Primary Academy?
The average class had 29.7 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Osborne Close, Freshwater Avenue, Hastings, TN34 2HU
- Telephone
- 01424 429279
- Website
- www.arkblacklandsprimary.org
- Head of School
- Mrs Mary Quinn
- Type of school
- Sponsored academy (Academy sponsor led, academies)
- Phase
- Primary school, ages 4-11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Multi-academy trust
- ARK Schools (48 schools)
- Local authority
- East Sussex
- Ward
- St Helens
- Constituency
- Hastings and Rye
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 September 2014 (new provision)
- URN
- 141021 · LAESTAB 8452012 · UKPRN 10046436
- Formerly
- Blacklands Primary School
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- Year 6 results: DfE key stage 2 tables, 2024/25.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- Admissions outcomes: East Sussex council's published allocation statistics (source), entry years 2026.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.