Best Schools in Blackpool

How many schools are there in Blackpool?

Blackpool has 49 open schools: 28 state primary, 9 state secondary or all-through, 3 independent, 7 special and 2 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Blackpool are rated Outstanding?

4 schools in Blackpool were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Park Community Academy, Layton Primary School, Blackpool St Nicholas CofE Primary School and Thornton-Cleveleys Red Marsh School. Counting Good as well, 88% of the 34 graded schools here are rated Good or better. Ofsted stopped giving single-word overall grades in September 2024, so these are the grades from each school's last full inspection.

Park Community AcademyLayton Primary SchoolBlackpool St Nicholas CofE Primary SchoolThornton-Cleveleys Red Marsh School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Blackpool get the best GCSE results?

Of the 9 schools in Blackpool with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at St George's School A Church of England Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 55.4 and 74% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; St Mary's Catholic Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 44.2 and 39% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Montgomery Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 40.9 and 37% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

St George's School A Church of England AcademySt Mary's Catholic AcademyMontgomery Academy

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Blackpool have the best SATs results?

Of the 29 primary schools in Blackpool with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Westcliff Primary Academy (97% in reading, 88% in maths); Kincraig Primary School (90% in reading, 93% in maths); and Blackpool St Nicholas CofE Primary School (93% in reading, 86% in maths). Small schools can swing a long way from one year to the next, because each pupil is a large share of the result.

Westcliff Primary AcademyKincraig Primary SchoolBlackpool St Nicholas CofE Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Blackpool?

No. None of the state secondary schools in Blackpool selects pupils by ability, so every state secondary here is comprehensive.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Blackpool have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Blackpool have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, the council allocates places on its published criteria - usually looked-after children first, then siblings, then home-to-school distance - so the practical cut-off moves each year. Each school's page here shows an estimate of its catchment radius.

How do I apply for a school place in Blackpool?

Apply to your council - Blackpool or Lancashire, depending on your address - through its coordinated admissions process, even for academies and faith schools. In England the closing date is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts. Independent schools run their own admissions, so apply to those directly.