Blakeney Primary School

About Blakeney Primary School

Blakeney Primary School was rated Requires Improvement in its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2024, a downgrade from its previous Good rating in 2014. The inspection found that the quality of education, early years provision, and leadership and management all require improvement, while behaviour and attitudes, and personal development, were judged to be Good. On the key academic metric for primary schools, the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined was 54 per cent. That is below the Gloucestershire local authority average of 59 per cent, placing the school in the bottom half of schools nationally for this measure. However, the picture is more mixed when you look at individual subjects: 77 per cent of pupils met the expected standard in maths, and 69 per cent in reading, while writing was lower at 54 per cent. The average scaled scores were 103 in maths and 104 in reading, both close to the national benchmark of 100.

The school’s small size is a defining feature, with exactly 84 pupils on roll, matching its full capacity. This creates a close-knit environment where individual attention is possible, though it also means that small changes in cohort performance can shift the statistics significantly. In the 2023/24 academic year, no pupils achieved the higher standard in reading, writing and maths combined, though 31 per cent did so in reading alone and 15 per cent in maths. The school ranks 124th out of 243 primary schools in Gloucestershire, and 19th out of 39 in the Forest of Dean area. For parents considering the school, it is worth noting that oversubscription is a factor: for the 2025/26 intake, there were 14 applications for 8 places, with 7 first-preference offers made, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.75.

Blakeney Primary School offers a range of facilities including a sports hall, gymnasium, playing fields, a sensory room, and a forest school area, which supports outdoor learning. The school also has a chapel and music rooms, and runs clubs such as art, book, science, film, eco and drama. Sports on offer include netball, football, rounders, athletics, tennis, cricket and gymnastics. The school has identified SEND provisions for pupils with specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, and speech, language and communication needs. With a free school meals rate of 22.6 per cent, the school serves a community with above-average economic disadvantage. This is a school that will suit families who value a small, village-style primary with strong outdoor and sporting opportunities, and who are comfortable with a school that is actively working to improve its academic outcomes following a recent Ofsted downgrade.

Key Details

Frequently Asked Questions About Blakeney Primary School

Helpful Guides for Parents