Anchorsholme Primary Academy, Thornton-Cleveleys
Anchorsholme Primary Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Thornton-Cleveleys, part of The Sea View Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in April 2013. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in January 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 7th-highest of the 10 schools in Thornton-Cleveleys with published results, and 12,107th of 14,452 across England. It was 96% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2013)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Blackpool (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Anchorsholme Primary Academy in detail
Anchorsholme Primary Academy in its own words
In its own words: "Anchorsholme Primary School was opened in 1967 and is in a pleasant residential area to the north of Blackpool. The school caters for children between the ages of 4 and 11 years of age and there are currently approximately 618 pupils on roll. A major building program then took place in 2012 which improved the shared areas and school halls."
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care, from £3.80 per session.
Vision and values (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 64% of Year 6 pupils at Anchorsholme Primary Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 64% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 72% and 70% in Blackpool and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 89% in reading and 89% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Anchorsholme Primary Academy
For September 2026 entry, 59 families put Anchorsholme Primary Academy as their first choice and 116 named it as one of their preferences, for 62 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Anchorsholme Primary Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Anchorsholme Primary Academy are St Teresa's Catholic Primary School (0.5 miles, 57% reading, 49% maths); Norbreck Primary Academy (0.6 miles, Good, 79% reading, 70% maths); Thornton Cleveleys Royles Brook Primary School (0.8 miles, Good, 61% reading, 50% maths); and Kincraig Primary School (0.8 miles, Good, 90% reading, 93% maths).
Anchorsholme Primary Academy's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.
St Teresa's Catholic Primary SchoolNorbreck Primary AcademyThornton Cleveleys Royles Brook Primary SchoolKincraig Primary School
The trust
Anchorsholme Primary Academy is one of 6 schools run by The Sea View Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 49% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
54 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Anchorsholme Primary Academy (as of September 2025): 91% would recommend the school, 93% say their child is happy there and 50% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (94%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (50%).
Who goes there
1.7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 53 pupils (8.9%) received SEN support and 8 (1.3%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is social, emotional and mental health needs.
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Anchorsholme (Blackpool Tramway), about 890 metres away (roughly a 11-minute walk).
26 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Eastpines Drive Shops (by), 80 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 211 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Blackpool (336).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Anchorsholme Primary Academy issued 14 suspensions, 2.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Anchorsholme Primary Academy are Montgomery Academy (1 mile) and Millfield School (1.2 miles).
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from April 2013, 13 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's January 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Your child will thrive in a caring, inclusive environment where staff actively encourage learning and personal growth. The school excels at teaching reading and provides thoughtful support for children who need extra help. Pupils develop into confident, responsible citizens through a wide range of leadership roles and enrichment activities.
Key Strengths
- Excellent personal development opportunities help pupils build resilience, independence, and become responsible citizens
- Strong reading programme with expert staff training ensures pupils develop secure reading knowledge
- Effective support for pupils with SEND, who achieve well as a result
- Calm, orderly school environment where pupils behave well and treat each other with respect
- Broad, ambitious curriculum recently refined to help pupils build on prior learning
Areas for Improvement
- In some subjects, teachers do not focus sufficiently on the most important knowledge pupils need to learn, causing some to struggle
- Handwriting policy not followed consistently - some pupils' written work is difficult to read and does not reflect their ability
- Some pupils become overwhelmed when curriculum content is not prioritized effectively
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with school prioritizing pupils' interests and maintaining an open, positive culture around safety.
Extracurricular Activities
Funky Friday activities, year group passport challenges, sports leadership roles, school council, buddy schemes, library visits with older residents, online projects with pupils from other locations, before- and after-school club
Anchorsholme Primary Academy is a good school where pupils are happy, well-behaved, and receive strong support for their learning. The school has a broad curriculum with particular strength in reading, though some inconsistency remains in how pupils' writing is developed.
At a Glance
17.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
54 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 89% to 64% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 89% to 64% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 84% to 66% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
28.3
Avg class size
26.9
Infant (KS1)
29.4
KS2
21
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Anchorsholme Primary Academy
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Anchorsholme Primary Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Anchorsholme Primary Academy is in Blackpool; for families living there:
Apply to Blackpool for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 25
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 9
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 25 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 9 serious and 16 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
2 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Blackpool is 39 (the median across 51 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Anchorsholme Primary Academy
Will you get a place at Anchorsholme Primary Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Anchorsholme Primary Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Anchorsholme Primary Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Anchorsholme Primary Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Blackpool, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Anchorsholme Primary Academy for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Blackpool got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
96%
Near capacity
603 pupils
630 places
27 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Thornton-Cleveleys
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Thornton-Cleveleys
Across Blackpool council
Places available
1,540
Applications
1,300
Got 1st preference
93.9%
Got preferred school
98.8%
All primary applications across Blackpool council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(4)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
53
SEN Support
8
EHC Plans
10.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
595
Total Pupils
279
Boys
316
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
29
Teachers
20.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,555
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£4,955
Per pupil
£3274k
Total funding
£152k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.7%
Overall absence
9.7%
Persistent absence
546
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Anchorsholme Primary Academy
Questions parents ask about Anchorsholme Primary Academy
What are SATs results like at Anchorsholme Primary Academy?
Of the pupils at Anchorsholme Primary Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 64% reached the expected standard in reading and 64% did so in maths.
What is Anchorsholme Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?
Anchorsholme Primary Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in April 2013, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Anchorsholme Primary Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Anchorsholme Primary Academy is oversubscribed, Blackpool allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Anchorsholme Primary Academy?
Anchorsholme Primary Academy was close to full in 2025, at 96% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Anchorsholme Primary Academy?
Classes at Anchorsholme Primary Academy average 28.3 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Anchorsholme Primary Academy?
Anchorsholme Primary Academy has around 595 pupils on roll. 17% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Anchorsholme Primary Academy?
4.7% of sessions were missed at Anchorsholme Primary Academy in 2024/25. 9.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Anchorsholme Primary Academy?
Apply through Blackpool's coordinated admissions process, naming Anchorsholme Primary Academy on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Anchorsholme Primary Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 25 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 9 serious and 16 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 2 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Blackpool is 39 (the median across 51 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Anchorsholme Primary Academy?
Anchorsholme Primary Academy is at Eastpines Drive, Thornton-Cleveleys, Lancashire, FY5 3RX.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)