School Chooser

Bleasdale School

Special · ages 2-19MixedCouncil88 pupilsSixth formNurseryCarnforthLancashire
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
OfstedOutstandingLast Ofsted inspection, April 2024
Reached the expected level at 110%England 63%
Attendance87.6%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families50%Far more than most schools
PlacesFull88 pupils, 85 places
Pupils per teacher5.9School workforce census

Bleasdale School is a council special school in Carnforth for boys and girls aged 2 to 19. It has 88 pupils, 3 more than it has places for. About 50 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was outstanding, back in 2024.

27 Emesgate Lane, Silverdale, Carnforth, LA5 0RG01524 701217bleasdaleschool.lancs.sch.ukMr Sefton Booth headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 23 April 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Outstanding overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Outstanding
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Outstanding
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Outstanding
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Outstanding
Sixth formOfsted calls this “post-16”
Outstanding
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes
Earlier inspections (1)
DateTypeOutcome
28 June 2023UngradedSchool remains Outstanding (Concerns) - S5 Next

Results

GCSE results, summer 2024

1 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.

The government hasn't published this school's headline results. Fewer than eleven pupils sat the exams, so the figures could identify individual children.

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

8 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.

Reached the expected level at 110%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level0%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading scoreOfficial name: Reading average scaled score
Maths scoreOfficial name: Maths average scaled score
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242019201820172016LancashireEngland
Pupils tested812412
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths0%61%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%8%8%
Expected level: readingReading expected standard0%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard0%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)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.

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 Lancashire council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll88Census January 2026
Places85104% full
Pupils from low-income families50%50% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English9%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support0%0 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan100%88 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)49%£55,950 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls60 / 28
White British pupils88%

Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with autism, moderate learning difficulties, profound and multiple learning difficulties, speech, language and communication, severe learning difficulties, specific 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 Lancashire with autism provision.

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (36), language and communications needs (20), Profound and multiple learning difficulty (16), Severe learning difficulty (5), Moderate learning difficulty (4), Other difficulty or disability (3).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll885939353533
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals50%48%33%37%34%33%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language9%14%15%17%11%12%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support0%0%0%0%0%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans100%100%100%100%100%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 87.6% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance87.6%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school37.0%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.7%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence12.4%16.0%12.7%14.1%12.4%13.1%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence10.6%14.9%12.0%14.1%12.2%12.8%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.7%1.1%0.7%0.1%0.2%0.3%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence37.0%61.1%42.3%40.9%34.8%47.4%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.00.00.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers14.9full-time equivalent, 15 people
Pupils per teacher5.9Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants30.3full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£49,361
Teachers who left in the year0%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher5.72024/25

Money

From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other special schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£35,263England £32,258. Total £2.1m
Income per pupil£34,984England £32,367. Total £2.1m
Spent on teachers per pupil£13,037England £11,930
Money in reserve11%A healthy amount put by: £221k, £3,745 per pupil. England 7%
Money in against money out-£16kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£35,263spent 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 m1512 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate59 per 1,000 people36% lower than the England average
Typical house price£200,000Lancaster
Nearest bus stop50 mGaskell Hall, 8 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 schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Silverdale St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolChurch of England180 m55Good 202428Compare
Arnside National CofE SchoolAcademy2.2 miles95Good 202485Compare
Yealand Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England2.6 miles32Good 202294Compare
Warton Archbishop Hutton's VC Primary SchoolVoluntary2.9 miles95Good 202426Compare
Storth CofE SchoolChurch of England3.2 miles88Report card 202631Compare
Beetham CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England3.5 miles51Good 202266Compare
Carnforth Community Primary SchoolCouncil3.7 miles99Good 202421Compare
Carnforth Christ Church, Church of England, Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolChurch of England3.7 miles113Report card 202624Compare

Questions parents ask

Is Bleasdale School a good school?

Bleasdale School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it outstanding at its last inspection in April 2024.

What is Bleasdale School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Bleasdale School outstanding at its last full inspection on 23 April 2024.

How good are Bleasdale 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 Bleasdale School have?

88 pupils aged 2 to 19 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 85 places, so it is 104% full.

What is attendance like at Bleasdale School?

Pupils were in school 87.6% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 37% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

Does Bleasdale School have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It is a special school for autism, moderate learning difficulties, profound and multiple learning difficulties, speech, language and communication, severe learning difficulties, specific learning difficulties. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

Does Bleasdale School have a sixth form?

Yes.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
27 Emesgate Lane, Silverdale, Carnforth, LA5 0RG
Telephone
01524 701217
Website
www.bleasdaleschool.lancs.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mr Sefton Booth
Type of school
Council special school (Community special school, special schools)
Phase
Special school, ages 2-19, with nursery, with sixth form
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Lancashire
Ward
Silverdale
Constituency
Morecambe and Lunesdale
Setting
Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
URN
119861 · LAESTAB 8887007 · UKPRN 10014923

Where these figures come from