Keelby Primary Academy

About Keelby Primary Academy

Keelby Primary Academy is a state primary in West Lindsey, Lincolnshire, currently educating 180 pupils against a capacity of 210, meaning there is some room to grow. The school serves a community with a notably high proportion of children eligible for free school meals — 23.3%, well above the national average of around 23% and significantly higher than the typical primary in Lincolnshire. This context makes the school’s popularity all the more telling: for the 2025/26 intake, it received 23 applications for 19 places, with all 19 first-preference applicants offered a spot, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.21. That demand suggests local families see it as a strong option, despite the demographic challenges. The school is mixed, non-religious, and led by headteacher Annabel Atkin, who took over after the school’s most recent Ofsted inspection in 2023.

Academically, Keelby Primary Academy performs well above the local authority average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 77% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a Lincolnshire average of just 57%. The school also achieved strong average scaled scores of 105 in maths and 104 in reading. At the higher standard, 32% of pupils achieved greater depth in maths, 26% in reading, and 6% in writing. This performance places Keelby 2nd out of 41 primary schools in West Lindsey, and in the top 25% nationally. Its most recent graded Ofsted inspection, in 2012, rated the school Good overall, with Good leadership and management. A subsequent ungraded inspection in 2023 confirmed the school remains Good and is improving. This is a significant turnaround from its previous 2009 inspection, which rated it Requires Improvement.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including an ICT suite, library, gymnasium, music rooms, playing fields and a chapel. Sports provision covers football, swimming, dance, cross country, gymnastics and rounders, while clubs include drama, science and gardening. SEND support is comprehensive, with provisions for specific learning difficulties, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language difficulties, hearing and visual impairments, physical disabilities and autistic spectrum disorder. Keelby is a good fit for families in the West Lindsey area who want a well-regarded local primary with strong academic outcomes, particularly those whose children may benefit from the school’s broad SEND offer. The oversubscription means applying as a first preference is wise, though the school has historically been able to accommodate all first-preference applicants.

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