St Blasius Shanklin CofE Primary Academy

About St Blasius Shanklin CofE Primary Academy

If you're a parent on the Isle of Wight weighing up St Blasius Shanklin CofE Primary Academy, the first thing to note is that it's a genuinely popular choice among local families. In the 2025/26 admissions round, the school received 26 applications for just 15 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.73. All 15 first-preference applicants were offered a spot, which suggests that for those who put it top of their list, the odds are reasonable, but it's not a guaranteed shoe-in. The school is a Church of England state primary for mixed-gender pupils aged 4 to 11, with a current roll of 186 children against a capacity of 210, so there is a little headroom. The headteacher is Alex Augustus, and the school sits within the Isle of Wight local authority. With 26.3 per cent of pupils eligible for free school meals, it serves a community with above-average levels of disadvantage compared with the national average, which is worth bearing in mind when interpreting its academic results.

Academically, St Blasius presents a mixed picture. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 47 per cent of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which is below the Isle of Wight local authority average of 52 per cent. The school ranks 24th out of 36 primary schools in the LA on this metric, placing it in the bottom half locally and the bottom 50 per cent nationally. However, there are bright spots: 93 per cent of pupils met the expected standard in writing, which is very strong, and 63 per cent did so in reading. At the higher standard, 13 per cent achieved in reading, writing and maths combined. Average scaled scores were 103 in reading and 102 in maths, both just above the national benchmark of 100. The school's most recent Ofsted inspection, an ungraded visit in March 2023, confirmed it remains Good overall, with leadership and management, early years provision, and overall effectiveness all rated Good. Its previous graded inspection in 2017 had rated it Requires Improvement, so the trajectory is positive.

On the practical side, St Blasius offers a decent range of facilities for a primary of its size, including a gymnasium, sensory room, playing fields, library, music rooms and a chapel. Sports provision covers football, dance, athletics, gymnastics, netball, tennis and cross country, while clubs extend to coding, chess, science, film and gardening. The school has a well-documented SEND offer, with provisions for moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication difficulties, visual impairment, and autistic spectrum disorder. There is no nursery or sixth form. For families who value a Church of England ethos and a school that has improved its Ofsted rating in recent years, St Blasius is a solid local option, particularly if your child has strengths in writing. Just be aware that overall academic outcomes are below the LA average, and oversubscription means you'll want to make it your first preference to maximise your chances.

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