Intack Primary School

Intack Primary School is a friendly, inclusive and calm school where pupils feel safe and are well supported. The school has been through considerable leadership change, with a new headteacher and chair of governors appointed in 2024 and a leadership team in place for 12 months. Leaders, working with the local authority, have taken decisive action and brought about rapid improvement in a short space of time. Provision in the early years, inclusion, personal development, behaviour and the quality of curriculum teaching is effective, and safeguarding standards are met. The main area of concern is pupils' achievement. Although current pupils are increasingly well supported and progress is improving, historic weaknesses mean that attainment in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6 remains below national averages, with writing a particular gap. Some pupils, including older pupils and those who join later, are not fully prepared for the next stage of education. Attendance is improving, but persistent absence remains above the national average and some pupils, especially those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, still miss too much school. Governance is generally effective, and governors fulfil statutory duties such as safeguarding. However, they are less well informed about some curriculum priorities and their impact, which limits their ability to support and challenge leaders fully in these areas. The school serves a diverse community with high levels of deprivation and an above-average proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals.

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe and safeguarding standards are met.
• Caring relationships and a calm, respectful atmosphere help pupils settle quickly.
• Behaviour is typically positive, and bullying or discrimination is rare.
• Early years provision is effective, with quick identification of additional needs.
• Inclusion is at the heart of leaders' work, including strong support for pupils with SEND and those who speak English as an additional language.
• The curriculum prioritises core reading, writing and mathematics and is taught well overall.
• Targeted reading support builds confidence and fluency, including for pupils who speak English as an additional language.
• Attendance is improving over time because leaders understand and address barriers to attendance.
• Personal development opportunities broaden pupils' experiences and promote respect for diversity.
• Wellbeing support is tailored, timely and sensitive to pupils' needs.
• Staff feel valued and benefit from an extensive professional development programme.
• Leaders have taken decisive action and improved the school rapidly during a period of change.
• Governors have the knowledge to fulfil statutory duties such as safeguarding.

Areas for Improvement

• Achievement needs attention because attainment in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6 is below national averages.
• Historic gaps in pupils' knowledge continue to affect older pupils, particularly in writing.
• Some pupils are not fully prepared for the next stage of education.
• Persistent absence remains above the national average.
• Some pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, still miss too much school.
• Governors are less well informed about curriculum development and its impact, limiting their ability to challenge and support leaders.
• It is too soon to see the full impact of curriculum improvements in national tests and assessments.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Intack Primary School attended 93.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 22.3% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.5% of pupils at Intack Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). One pupil was permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Intack Primary School had 21.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.6% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 15.6% of pupils at Intack Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.6% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Intack Primary School received £7,570 and spent £7,339 for each of its 378 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £13,000 (-£33 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Blackburn · Blackburn with Darwen local authority: places and applications

What is Intack Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Intack Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was Intack Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Intack Primary School was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does Intack Primary School have?

Intack Primary School has 378 pupils on roll.

What age range does Intack Primary School cover?

Intack Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Intack Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 47% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Intack Primary School?

Intack Primary School is at Whitebirk Road, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB1 3HY.