Blackfordby St Margaret's Church of England Primary School
| Type | Primary / Academy sponsor led |
| Age Range | 4-11 |
| Religion | Church of England |
| Address | Off Main Street Blackfordby Swadlincote Derbyshire DE11 8AB |
| Phone | 01283217702 |
| Reference Number | 145084 |
Blackfordby St Margaret's Church of England Primary School is a small primary in the Rise multi-academy trust. It has experienced significant staffing and leadership turbulence in recent years, including a new headteacher in September 2025 and an executive headteacher in January 2026. Despite this unsettled period, leaders have quickly improved teaching, behaviour, SEND assessment and support, and have largely stabilised staffing. Safeguarding standards are met. Inspectors found the school is meeting expected standards in curriculum and teaching, early years, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing, but achievement, attendance and behaviour, and inclusion need attention.
General Makeup
| Number of pupils | 86 |
| Boy/Girl ratio |
Boys: 53.49%
Girls: 46.51% |
| Percentage of students eligible for free school meals | 15.1% |
| Percentage of students where English is not their first language | 1.2% |
Class Sizes
| Average size of one teacher classes | 19.7 |
| Average size of Key Stage 1 classes taught by one teacher | 13 |
| Average size of Key Stage 2 classes taught by one teacher | 23 |
Year Groups
| Year | Boys | Girls | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | 5 | 13 |
| 2 | 4 | 10 | 14 |
| 3 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| 4 | 8 | 6 | 14 |
| 5 | 9 | 6 | 15 |
| 6 | 6 | 6 | 12 |
Ethnicities
| Ethnicity | Percentage |
|---|---|
| White, British | 95.3% |
| White & Black (Caribbean) | 2.3% |
| White, Other | 1.2% |
| Mixed, Other | 1.2% |
| Overall Ofsted Rating | Needs attention |
| > Leadership & Governance | Expected standard |
| > Personal Development & Wellbeing | Expected standard |
| > Achievement | Needs attention |
| > Attendance & Behaviour | Needs attention |
| > Curriculum & Teaching | Expected standard |
| > Inclusion | Needs attention |
| > Early Years | Expected standard |
| Last Report Date | 21 Apr 2026 |
| Date | Report |
|---|---|
| 21 Apr 2026 | School inspection |
| 25 Jan 2022 | School inspection |
Strengths
- Meticulously planned and sequenced curriculum across all subjects
- Secure teacher subject knowledge with effective checks on pupil understanding
- Strong early years provision with purposeful interactions and a sharp focus on communication and language
- Well-organised personal development curriculum that prepares pupils for life in modern Britain
- Positive pupil behaviour, warm relationships and rare bullying
- Effective pastoral support for pupils who need additional help
- Accurate leadership understanding of teaching quality and well-targeted support
- Strong trust support with systematic governance and a good balance of challenge and support
- Staff feel proud to work at the school and value the team ethos
- SEND identification and support are improving rapidly
- Alternative provision is used appropriately
- Pupils take on responsibilities and value wider experiences
Areas for Improvement
- Achievement at the end of key stage 2 is variable and too low in mathematics over the last three years
- Disadvantaged pupils consistently perform significantly below national averages across national assessments
- SEND targets have lacked precision and have not been used consistently to check progress
- Support for pupils with SEND has been inconsistent, though it is improving
- The pupil premium strategy lacks rigour and does not make clear how impact will be measured
- Some staff are not familiar with the disadvantaged pupil strategy or their role in it
- Attendance has been significantly below national for three years, including for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND
- Persistent absence is well above national averages
- Suspension rates were too high in previous years, though they have reduced significantly this year
- Too many parents raise concerns about communication and how well they are included in day-to-day school life
- Outcomes for disadvantaged pupils have been too low over time
- Leaders acknowledge more work is needed to prepare all pupils for the next stage of education
How many students meet the standards
| Reading, Writing & Maths | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils meeting the expected standard | 40% | ||
| Pupils meeting a higher standard | 0% |
Average Scaled Score
Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.
| Subject | School | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 104 | ||
| Maths | 98 |
Progress Scores
A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.
| Metric | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 2.8 | ||
| Writing | 1.1 | ||
| Maths | -1.8 |
How many students meet the standards
Sample
UnlockAverage Scaled Score
Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.
Sample
UnlockProgress Scores
A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.
Sample
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| Number of Applications | Number of Offers | |
| First Preference | ||
| Second Preference | 17 | 2 |
| Third Preference | 10 | 0 |
| From another Local Authority | 11 | 4 |
Previous Years
Sample
Unlock| Name | Distance |
|
Moira Primary School
Blackfordby Lane, Moira, Swadlincote, Derbyshire, DE12 6EX |
0.84 miles |
|
Three Trees Infant Academy
High Street, Woodville, Swadlincote, Derbyshire, DE11 7EA |
0.96 miles |
|
Three Trees CofE Junior Academy
High Street, Woodville, Swadlincote, Derbyshire, DE11 7EA |
0.96 miles |
|
Ashby Hastings Primary School
School Lane, Ashby-De-La-Zouch, LE65 2AX |
1.32 miles |
|
Ashby Hill Top Primary School
Beaumont Avenue, Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire, LE65 2NF |
1.57 miles |
|
Albert Village Primary School
Occupation Road, Albert Village, Swadlincote, Derbyshire, DE11 8HA |
1.66 miles |
|
Ashby-de-la-Zouch Church of England Primary School
Burton Road, Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire, LE65 2LL |
1.7 miles |
|
Hartshorne CofE Primary School
Main Street, Hartshorne, Swadlincote, Derbyshire, DE11 7ES |
1.76 miles |
|
Woodcote Primary School
Willowbrook Close, Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire, LE65 1JX |
1.77 miles |
|
Eureka Primary School
Dunsmore Way, Midway, Swadlincote, Derbyshire, DE11 7LA |
1.89 miles |
|
Belmont Primary School
Belmont Street, Swadlincote, Derbyshire, DE11 8JZ |
2.01 miles |
|
Ashby Willesley Primary School
Packington Nook Lane, Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire, LE65 2QG |
2.05 miles |
|
St George's CofE Primary School
Church Street, Church Gresley, Swadlincote, Derbyshire, DE11 9NP |
2.06 miles |
|
Pennine Way Junior Academy
Pennine Way, Swadlincote, Derbyshire, DE11 9EY |
2.28 miles |
|
Church Gresley Infant and Nursery School
Pennine Way, Church Gresley, Swadlincote, Derbyshire, DE11 9EY |
2.28 miles |
|
Springfield Junior School
Springfield Road, Swadlincote, Derbyshire, DE11 0BU |
2.29 miles |
|
St Edward's Catholic Academy
Newhall Road, Swadlincote, Derbyshire, DE11 0BD |
2.42 miles |
|
Overseal Primary School
Woodville Road, Overseal, Swadlincote, Derbyshire, DE12 6LU |
2.48 miles |
|
Elmsleigh Infant & Nursery School
Queen's Drive, Swadlincote, Derbyshire, DE11 0EG |
2.5 miles |
|
Donisthorpe Primary School
Ashby Road, Donisthorpe, Swadlincote, Derbyshire, DE12 7QF |
2.51 miles |
| Name | Distance |
|
Granville Academy
Burton Road, Woodville, Swadlincote, Derbyshire, DE11 7JR |
1.51 miles |
|
Castleview School
9a & 10a Waterloo House, North Street, Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire, LE65 1HS |
1.95 miles |
|
Ivanhoe School
North Street, Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire, LE65 1HX |
1.96 miles |
|
Ashby School
Nottingham Road, Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire, LE65 1DT |
2.19 miles |
|
The Pingle Academy
Coronation Street, Swadlincote, Derbyshire, DE11 0QA |
2.56 miles |
|
Mercia Academy
Sunnyside, Newhall, Swadlincote, Derbyshire, DE11 0TL |
3.32 miles |
|
Blessed Robert Sutton Catholic Voluntary Academy
Bluestone Lane, Stapenhill, Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, DE15 9SD |
4.67 miles |
|
Pegasus School
Main Street, Cauldwell, Swadlincote, Derbyshire, DE12 6RS |
4.7 miles |
|
Paulet High School
Violet Way, Stapenhill, Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, DE15 9RT |
4.79 miles |