Blackpool Gateway Academy

Blackpool Gateway Academy is a warm, inclusive school that has strong pastoral foundations and is led by a leadership team, trust and governors who understand the school well and are driving rapid improvement. Safeguarding is met. Pupils behave well, bullying is very rare, and pupils who need extra help with emotions or behaviour are supported quickly. Early years is a particular strength, and pupils with SEND or those joining mid-year are welcomed and supported effectively. Leaders also provide extensive support for families, which is helping improve attendance. However, pupils' achievement over time has been below national averages, and the curriculum and teaching need attention. The curriculum is not yet taught consistently well, some activities do not focus sharply enough on important knowledge, and gaps in pupils' basic learning are not addressed precisely enough. Writing in key stages 1 and 2 is inconsistent, and pupils need more practice in mathematics. Persistent absence and the disadvantage gap remain above national levels, although attendance is improving. The school serves a highly deprived area with well-above-average free school meals and SEND support, and many pupils join later in their education. Leaders are making the right improvements, but this work is in its early stages and has not yet had full impact on achievement. The next steps are to embed consistent writing teaching, check and address gaps more precisely, focus tasks on essential knowledge, and give pupils more chances to apply mathematics.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met and there is an open, positive culture of safeguarding.
• Pupils behave well and lessons are calm; bullying and discrimination are very rare and never tolerated.
• Leaders provide strong, bespoke support for pupils and families, including help that extends beyond the school gate.
• The early years curriculum is well considered and consistently well taught, helping children become ready for Year 1.
• Inclusion is effective: pupils joining mid-year and pupils with SEND are welcomed, understood and well supported.
• Leaders, governors and trustees have a sharp, shared understanding of the school and are driving rapid improvement.
• Personal development is well designed, giving pupils relevant knowledge about safety, health, relationships and British values.
• Pupils benefit from a wide range of clubs, trips and experiences that broaden their horizons.
• Phonics teaching is effective, and pupils quickly acquire the knowledge they need to become fluent readers.
• Attendance is improving because leaders systematically identify and remove barriers, including for new pupils.
• Staff appreciate the guidance and care from leaders and the trust, and are proud to make a positive difference.
• Pupils with SEND progress well from their starting points and typically access the curriculum successfully.

Areas for Improvement

• Over time, pupils' achievement has been below national averages in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Gaps in pupils' basic knowledge, especially for those joining later, are not addressed precisely enough.
• The curriculum is not yet taught consistently well across all subjects.
• Some tasks do not help pupils acquire the important knowledge they need.
• Writing is not consistently effective in key stages 1 and 2, despite a successful early years start.
• Pupils do not have enough opportunities to practise and apply their mathematics knowledge.
• Pupils with SEND have the same gaps in writing and mathematics as their peers.
• Persistent absence remains above the national average, although it is improving.
• Disadvantaged pupils' attainment gaps compared with non-disadvantaged pupils nationally remain wide.
• Leaders' rapid improvements have not yet had time to fully affect pupils' achievement.
• Attendance remains a challenge for many pupils, including those who join midway through the school year.

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 Blackpool Gateway Academy attended 92.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 24.2% 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, 1.2% of pupils at Blackpool Gateway Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were 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 Blackpool Gateway Academy had 15.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 11.8% 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, 30.3% of pupils at Blackpool Gateway Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.5% 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 2024–25 Blackpool Gateway Academy received £9,694 and spent £9,774 for each of its 307 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £251,000 (£820 per pupil).

Across all 10 schools of Fylde Coast Academy Trust, income was £8,606 and spending £8,682 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Blackpool · Blackpool local authority: places and applications

Blackpool Gateway Academy is part of Fylde Coast Academy Trust, which runs 10 schools. The nearest others:

• Armfield Academy Blackpool
• Mereside Primary Academy Blackpool
• Westminster Primary Academy Blackpool
• Unity Academy Blackpool Blackpool
• Blackpool Aspire Academy Blackpool
• Montgomery Academy Blackpool
• Westcliff Primary Academy Blackpool
• Hambleton Primary Academy Poulton-Le-Fylde
• Garstang Community Academy Preston

What is Blackpool Gateway Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Blackpool Gateway Academy is Needs attention, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Blackpool Gateway Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Blackpool Gateway Academy was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Blackpool Gateway Academy have?

Blackpool Gateway Academy has 287 pupils on roll.

What age range does Blackpool Gateway Academy cover?

Blackpool Gateway Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Blackpool Gateway Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 44% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Blackpool Gateway Academy?

Blackpool Gateway Academy is at Seymour Road, Blackpool, FY1 6JH.