Blackhorse Primary School

Blackhorse Primary School is a highly inclusive and welcoming school where pupils feel valued, behave well and benefit from strong pastoral support. Attendance and behaviour are notable strengths: leaders know families well, analyse attendance rigorously and act swiftly, while pupils show maturity, self-discipline and respect. Inclusion is also a significant strength, especially for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, including through the well-established Resource Base for pupils with autism and other complex needs. Personal development is rich, with a wide range of enrichment, leadership roles and opportunities that build confidence and belonging. Leadership and governance are ambitious and effective, with strong trust support and positive staff and parental views. Pupils achieve well overall, including disadvantaged pupils, and published outcomes are generally in line with or above national averages. However, some pupils do not build the depth of knowledge they need across some wider curriculum subjects, and they do not consistently make links to prior learning. Assessment checks in lessons are sometimes not precise enough, so misconceptions are not always addressed swiftly and gaps can persist. In the early years, phonics checks are occasionally less effective, meaning some children do not develop the strongest foundational skills for future learning. The school is part of the Leaf Trust and has specially resourced provision for 22 pupils with a range of SEND, including autism. The school context includes a well-above-average proportion of pupils with EHC plans, while free school meals and location deprivation are well below average. Safeguarding standards are met.

Strengths

• Highly inclusive ethos with strong support for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils
• Well-established Resource Base enables pupils with complex needs to integrate successfully
• Strong pastoral approach and rigorous attendance analysis, with improving attendance
• Calm, purposeful environment with high levels of pupil self-discipline and respectful behaviour
• Comprehensive personal development offer, including enrichment, music, sport and leadership roles
• Pupils develop a strong understanding of diversity, equality and fundamental British values
• Ambitious leadership and effective governance, with strong trust support
• High-quality professional learning and strong staff wellbeing
• Pupils achieve well overall, with published outcomes generally in line with or above national averages
• Most teachers model new ideas clearly and develop subject-specific vocabulary well

Areas for Improvement

• Teachers' assessment checks are sometimes imprecise, so misconceptions are not addressed swiftly and knowledge gaps persist
• Some pupils do not build sufficient depth of knowledge across some wider curriculum subjects
• Some pupils do not successfully build on or make links to their prior learning
• In early years, phonics checks are occasionally less effective and some staff do not spot or address errors as they arise

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 Blackhorse Primary School attended 95.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.6% 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, 1.0% of pupils at Blackhorse Primary School 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 Blackhorse Primary School had 20.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 22.9% 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, 10.5% of pupils at Blackhorse Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 10.0% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has resourced provision with 19 pupils.

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 Blackhorse Primary School received £6,701 and spent £7,391 for each of its 421 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £83,000 (£196 per pupil).

Across all 14 schools of The Leaf Trust, income was £6,841 and spending £6,882 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 Bristol · South Gloucestershire local authority: places and applications

Blackhorse Primary School is part of The Leaf Trust, which runs 18 schools. The nearest others:

• Emersons Green Primary School Bristol
• Stanbridge Primary School Bristol
• Mangotsfield Church of England Primary School Bristol
• The Tynings Primary School Staple Hill
• Staple Hill Primary School Bristol
• Kings' Forest Primary School Bristol
• Two Mile Hill Primary School Bristol
• Cadbury Heath Primary School Bristol
• St Barnabas Church of England Primary School Bristol
• Bowsland Green Primary School Bristol

What is Blackhorse Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Blackhorse Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in January 2026.

When was Blackhorse Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Blackhorse Primary School was last inspected in January 2026.

How many pupils does Blackhorse Primary School have?

Blackhorse Primary School has 419 pupils on roll.

What age range does Blackhorse Primary School cover?

Blackhorse Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 73% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Blackhorse Primary School?

Blackhorse Primary School is at Blackhorse Lane, Emersons Green, Bristol, BS16 6TR.