School Chooser

Blackwell Primary School

Primary · ages 4-11MixedAcademy294 pupilsEast GrinsteadWest Sussex
School Chooser Score
46
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 27 to 65
Out of 100. Better than 45% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, May 2023
Reached the expected level at 1161%England 63%
Attendance94.4%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families19%A bit fewer than most schools
Places96 spare294 pupils, 390 places
Pupils per teacher21.6School workforce census

Blackwell Primary School is a sponsored academy in East Grinstead for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 294 pupils and room for 390. About 19 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit fewer than at most schools. We give it 46 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 45% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.

Blackwell Farm Road, East Grinstead, RH19 3JL01342 323906Mrs Sarah Martin headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 23 May 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

61 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1161%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level8%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score105.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score105.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 47%47%20172018: 37%37%20182019: 54%54%20192023: 62%62%20232024: 63%63%20242025: 61%61%2025
Since 2017: +14%Steady overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure2025202420232019†2018†2017†West SussexEngland
Pupils tested614663593030
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths61%63%62%54%37%47%59%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths8%2%2%7%0%3%6%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score105.0104.0104.0102.0104.0101.0105.6105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score105.0103.0104.0101.0101.0100.0103.9104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score103.0102.0102.0103.0102.0103.0104.1105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard72%74%79%63%77%60%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard80%70%75%59%60%63%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)79%70%68%64%63%60%
Reading progressReading progress score+0.8+1.5+0.4+0.1
Maths progressMaths progress score+1.2-0.2-1.6-0.9
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged45%31%70%38%11%13%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged64%76%60%60%48%59%

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 Blackwell Primary School, the school this one replaced in September 2020. 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. 3 of the 4 gaps are 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

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
45%64%
Gap 19 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
60%61%
Gap 1 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Pupils learning English vs all pupils
56%61%
Gap 5 ptsEngland 4 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
9%8%
Gap 1 ptsEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

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.

Plenty of spare places329 pupils for 432 places, 2024/25
76% full

103 places were empty (24% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 6% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.

How places were given out for September 2025.

EntryPlacesApplied at allGot a placeHow far the last child livedSource
2025 Primary303130LA
2024 Primary303132LA
2023 Primary602932all offeredLA

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.

Pupils on roll294Census January 2026
Places39075% full
Pupils from low-income families19%19% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English9%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support19%57 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan5%16 pupils with a plan
Average class size25.47 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)19%£85,250 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls140 / 154
White British pupils82%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 25.5 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 25.4 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (29), language and communications needs (15), emotional and mental health (14), Specific learning difficulty (6), Autistic spectrum disorder (4), Moderate learning difficulty (2).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll294324322346343345
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals19%19%19%17%14%11%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language9%9%7%7%4%5%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support17%19%19%23%10%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans5%3%2%1%1%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.4% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance94.4%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school13.4%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.92024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.7%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19†England
Sessions missedOverall absence5.6%6.2%6.4%6.8%2.8%4.0%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.9%4.7%5.4%5.9%2.6%3.2%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.7%1.5%1.0%1.0%0.3%0.9%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence13.4%17.5%15.7%22.2%8.0%6.2%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.90.90.90.93.8
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

† These attendance figures are for Blackwell Primary School, the school this one replaced in September 2020. 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.

Teachers13.6full-time equivalent, 19 people
Pupils per teacher21.6Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants7.3full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£51,268
Teachers who left in the year18%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher1.72024/25

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.

Spend per pupil£6,191England £7,128. Total £2.0m
Income per pupil£6,559England £7,587. Total £2.1m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,386England £3,405
Money in reserve0%Very little put by: £916, £3 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£119kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£6,191spent per pupil

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

Crimes within 500 m13912 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate82 per 1,000 people10% lower than the England average
Typical house price£435,000Mid Sussex
Nearest bus stop440 mQueen Victoria Hospital, 7 stops within 500 m

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.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
St Mary's Church of England Primary School, East GrinsteadAcademy880 m199Good 2022Compare
Baldwins Hill Primary School, East GrinsteadAcademy0.6 miles139Good 202225Compare
Estcots Primary SchoolCouncil0.8 miles403Not inspected62Compare
Halsford Park Primary SchoolAcademy0.9 miles398Good 202281Compare
St Peter's Catholic Primary SchoolRoman Catholic1.0 miles188Not inspected60Compare
The Meads Primary SchoolCouncil1.2 miles286Good 202435Compare
Felbridge Primary SchoolAcademy1.7 miles207Good 202231Compare
Dormansland Primary SchoolCouncil1.9 miles207Not inspected74Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Blackwell Primary School 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.

Beats45%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the lower half of its group. Its score of 46 is 7 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 6 · middle 53 · highest 100100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 46 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 46% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 27 to 65. 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 atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years25%in line
-0.04
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 61 pupils
Ofsted inspection19% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 3.3 years old
Progress pupils make20%in line
+0.02
DfE progress measure; 61 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%in line
+0.01
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%in line
-0.01
2024/25; 292 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%below
-0.05
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 61 pupils
What parents say0%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 Blackwell Primary School a good school?

It is about average. Blackwell Primary School scores 46 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 45% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 27 to 65, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is Blackwell Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Blackwell Primary School good at its last full inspection on 23 May 2023.

How good are Blackwell Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 61% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 8% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Blackwell Primary School have?

294 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 390 places, so it is 75% full.

Is Blackwell Primary School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 103 places were empty in 2024/25 (24% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Blackwell Primary School?

Pupils were in school 94.4% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 13% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Blackwell Primary School?

The average class had 25.4 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
Blackwell Farm Road, East Grinstead, RH19 3JL
Telephone
01342 323906
Headteacher
Mrs Sarah Martin
Type of school
Sponsored academy (Academy sponsor led, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
Everychild Partnership Trust (7 schools)
Local authority
West Sussex
Ward
East Grinstead Ashplats
Constituency
East Grinstead and Uckfield
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 September 2020 (new provision)
URN
148141 · LAESTAB 9382057 · UKPRN 10086856
Formerly
Blackwell Primary School

Where these figures come from