Blackmarston School
Blackmarston School is a sponsored special academy in Hereford for boys and girls aged 2 to 11. It has 105 pupils, 6 more than it has places for. About 46 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was inadequate, back in 2023.
Honddu Close, Hereford, HR2 7NX01432 272376Mrs Vanessa Scott headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 20 June 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Inadequate overall.
Ofsted has serious worries about this school. It is in serious weaknesses.
Results
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025
16 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way. These are the results of Blackmarston School, the school this one replaced.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025† | 2024† | 2023† | 2019† | 2018† | 2017† | Herefordshire, County of | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 16 | 14 | 10 | 16 | 8 | 12 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 64% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 9% | 8% |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | -1.9 | -3.8 | -6.5 | -8.2 | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | -3.4 | -5.4 | -6.1 | -8.9 | – | – |
| Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged | 0% | – | – | 0% | – | – | – | – |
| Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged | 0% | – | – | 0% | – | – | – | – |
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.
† These results are for Blackmarston School, the school this one replaced in March 2025. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
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. Every gap at this school 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.
Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Herefordshire, County of council's admissions booklet, send it to us.
Who goes here
Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.
Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with autism, profound and multiple learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties.
To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Herefordshire, County of with autism provision.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (56), Severe learning difficulty (33), Profound and multiple learning difficulty (8), Specific learning difficulty (3), language and communications needs (2).
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.1% 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 | 6.0% | 10.1% | 10.5% | 10.4% | 14.1% | 6.0% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 5.0% | 8.7% | 9.4% | 9.9% | 13.4% | 5.8% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 1.0% | 1.4% | 1.1% | 0.5% | 0.7% | 0.2% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 21.3% | 29.1% | 38.3% | 47.5% | 51.9% | 18.8% | 12.8% |
† These attendance figures are for Blackmarston School, the school this one replaced in March 2025. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
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 special 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 schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marlbrook Primary School | Academy | 130 m | 578 | Good 2022 | 37 | Compare |
| The Hereford Church of England Academy | Academy | 360 m | 647 | Requires improvement 2024 | 6 | Compare |
| Our Lady's RC Primary School | Roman Catholic | 530 m | 181 | Report card 2026 | 18 | Compare |
| Riverside Primary School | Council | 790 m | 631 | Outstanding 2024 | 68 | Compare |
| St Martin's Primary School | Academy | 800 m | 304 | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| St James' Church of England Primary School | Academy | 1.0 miles | 219 | Outstanding 2023 | 96 | Compare |
| Lord Scudamore Primary Academy | Academy | 1.0 miles | 507 | Good 2023 | 28 | Compare |
| Hereford Cathedral School With A Junior School | Independent | 1.1 miles | 682 | Not inspected | – | Compare |
Questions parents ask
Is Blackmarston School a good school?
Blackmarston School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it inadequate at its last inspection in June 2023.
What is Blackmarston School's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Blackmarston School inadequate at its last full inspection on 20 June 2023.
How good are Blackmarston School's SATs results?
In summer 2025, 0% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level. The year group was small, so the percentages jump around a lot from year to year.
How many pupils does Blackmarston School have?
105 pupils aged 2 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 99 places, so it is 106% full.
What is attendance like at Blackmarston School?
Pupils were in school 94.1% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 21% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
Does Blackmarston School have specialist SEND provision?
Yes. It is a special school for autism, profound and multiple learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Honddu Close, Hereford, HR2 7NX
- Telephone
- 01432 272376
- Headteacher
- Mrs Vanessa Scott
- Type of school
- Sponsored special academy (Academy special sponsor led, academies)
- Phase
- Special school, ages 2-11, with nursery
- Gender
- Mixed
- Multi-academy trust
- Accordia Academies Trust (3 schools)
- Local authority
- Herefordshire, County of
- Ward
- Red Hill
- Constituency
- Hereford and South Herefordshire
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 March 2025 (new provision)
- URN
- 151214 · LAESTAB 8847001 · UKPRN 10096062
- Formerly
- Blackmarston 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.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- 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.