Devonshire Primary Academy

About Devonshire Primary Academy

Devonshire Primary Academy in Blackpool is a state primary for children aged 3 to 11, currently home to 455 pupils against a capacity of 472. That near-full roll is no surprise given the demand: for the 2025/26 intake, the school received 76 applications for 45 places, with 39 of those coming as first preferences. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals stands at 65.4%, a figure well above the national average and reflective of the local context in Blackpool. The school is led by headteacher Daniel Simm and has no religious character. Facilities include a library, forest school, playing fields, an outdoor playground and a chapel, while the extracurricular offer spans book club, drama, eco club and sports such as netball, football, cross country, dance and gymnastics.

Academically, Devonshire has seen notable improvement. In its most recent Ofsted inspection, carried out in November 2024, the school was rated Good across all five graded categories — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. This marks a clear step up from its previous inspection in 2020, when the overall effectiveness was Requires Improvement. At Key Stage 2, 53% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a local authority average of 58%. The school ranks 14th out of 23 primary schools in Blackpool on this measure, placing it in the bottom half nationally. Reading was a relative strength: 83% of pupils met the expected standard and 42% reached the higher standard, with an average score of 106. Maths and writing were weaker, with 68% and 65% reaching the expected standard respectively.

The school’s SEND provision is broad, covering specific learning difficulties, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, hearing and visual impairments, physical disability and autistic spectrum disorder. Parent View responses, collected between September 2024 and September 2025 from 18 respondents, show strong overall satisfaction: 72% would recommend the school. Most parents agreed or strongly agreed that their child is happy, feels safe and does well, though a minority expressed concerns about how concerns are dealt with and personal development support. With an oversubscription ratio of 1.69, securing a place is competitive. This school will suit families who value a supportive, inclusive environment with a strong pastoral focus and a wide range of clubs and sports, and who are comfortable with a school that serves a high-deprivation community.

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