Blackwater Community Primary School

About Blackwater Community Primary School

Blackwater Community Primary School is a small state primary in Cornwall, led by headteacher Evey Evison, and it sits comfortably within the top 25% of primary schools in the local authority. Ranked 23rd out of 208 primary schools in Cornwall, it outperforms the vast majority of its peers, though it is not quite among the very highest scorers in the area. The top three schools in the same local authority — Calstock Community Primary School, Landewednack Community Primary School, and St Buryan Primary School — all hold higher ranking scores, but Blackwater’s position is still strong, placing it in the 11th percentile nationally. For families looking at the wider South West region, the school ranks 198th out of 1,469 primary schools, again in the top 14%. The nearest school rated Outstanding by Ofsted is Mount Hawke Academy, 2.2 km away, but Blackwater itself holds a Good rating, with its most recent ungraded inspection in 2023 confirming it remains Good.

Academically, Blackwater delivers solid results that sit well above the local average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 76% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths combined, compared with a Cornwall average of just 58%. That puts the school 18 percentage points ahead of its local peers. Reading scores are particularly strong, with 88% of pupils reaching the expected standard and an average scaled score of 107. Maths also performs well, with 76% at the expected level and an average score of 105. At the higher standard, 24% of pupils achieved greater depth in reading, 12% in writing, and 29% in maths, though only 6% reached the higher threshold across all three subjects. Ofsted’s breakdown from the 2023 inspection shows the early years provision was rated Outstanding, while leadership and management, and overall effectiveness, were both rated Good. The school has no sixth form, as it is a primary-only setting.

The school is heavily oversubscribed, with 68 applications for just 15 places in the 2025/26 admissions round — an oversubscription ratio of 4.53 to 1. Only 14 first-preference offers were made from 21 first-preference applications, so securing a place is competitive. Blackwater offers a nursery provision for children from age 3, and the school’s facilities include a forest school, sports hall, library, music rooms, and a chapel. Sports on offer include football, cricket, swimming, athletics, and cross country, while clubs range from film club and gardening to drama and science club. The school supports children with specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, speech and language needs, social and emotional challenges, and autistic spectrum disorder. With 12.4% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a mixed catchment. It is best suited to families who value strong academic foundations in a small, community-focused primary with a good range of enrichment activities.

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