Blackfordby St Margaret's Church of England Primary School, Swadlincote

Good
Primary
Academy sponsor led
Mixed
Church of England
Ages 411

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~985m)Possible (~1.4km)Unlikely (~1.8km)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mr Ashley Izzard-Snape
Pupils:86 / 105 capacity
LA:Leicestershire
Phone:01283217702
Address:Off Main Street, Blackfordby, Swadlincote, DE11 8AB
Trust:RISE MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open
Opened:1 October 2017

Ofsted Rating

Good

Overall

URN:145084
UKPRN:10065186
Diocese:Diocese of Leicester
Constituency:North West Leicestershire
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

Blackfordby St Margaret's offers a warm, family-like environment where children are happy and behaviour is positive. Teaching has improved considerably and the school works hard to support all pupils, especially those with additional needs. Staff genuinely care about pupil wellbeing and the school is led by ambitious leaders determined to provide the best possible education.

Key Strengths

  • Teaching has improved significantly and teachers have secure subject knowledge with good understanding of pupils' progress
  • Early years provision is strong with a well-organized curriculum and careful focus on communication and language
  • School leaders are ambitious, have quickly improved pupil support including for those with special educational needs, and have strong backing from the multi-academy trust
  • Personal development curriculum is well-organized and helps pupils become respectful, confident individuals
  • Behaviour in classes and around school is typically positive with rare bullying

Areas for Improvement

  • Pupil achievement in national assessments remains below national averages, particularly in mathematics and for disadvantaged pupils
  • Attendance rates have been significantly lower than national levels for three years, though some improvement is beginning
  • Support for pupils with special educational needs has been inconsistent with targets lacking precision until recently
  • Parent communication and involvement in school life needs improvement - some parents feel excluded from day-to-day activities
  • Extra-curricular activities are limited though leaders plan to broaden the offer

Safeguarding

Safeguarding standards are met - leaders have established an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and pupils are made safer and feel safe.

Extracurricular Activities

School council, sports ambassadors, Christian ethos group, visits to places of worship, activities with other multi-academy trust schools

Blackfordby St Margaret's Church of England Primary School has navigated significant staffing changes in recent years but is now showing improvement under new leadership. Teaching is improving and the school provides a positive, family-oriented environment where pupils are happy and behave well.

At a Glance

15.1%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading+13ppMaths-40ppWriting-10pp

Reading has improved from 60% to 73%. Maths has declined from 80% to 40%. Writing has declined from 70% to 60%.

Class Sizes

25.0

Avg class size

20.0

Infant (KS1)

30.0

KS2

4

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Bus Stops

Heath Lane (northbound)
209m · 3 min walk
Main Street (adj)
300m · 5 min walk
Boothorpe Lane (opposite)
482m · 8 min walk
Fenton Avenue (adj)
529m · 9 min walk
Greyhound (opp)
746m · 12 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

82%

Available places

86 pupils

105 capacity

19 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Swadlincote

Low pressure
New homes approved:1,911
Projected new pupils:478

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Swadlincote

Admissions Demand - Leicestershire

Low demand0.78x oversubscription

Places available

8,747

Applications

6,780

Got 1st preference

95.4%

Got preferred school

99.6%

Primary admissions across Leicestershire (2025/26)

Inspection History(103)

Date not published by Ofsted
Good
Date not published by Ofsted
Good
Date not published by Ofsted
Good

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SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

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Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

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Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

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School Funding

Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

6.95668%

Overall absence

24.4186%

Persistent absence

86

Enrolments

Authorised5.41694%
Unauthorised1.53975%
Persistent (10%+)24.4186%
Severe (50%+)1.16279%

Absence trend

4.33205%
18/19
3.06525%
20/21
5.38646%
21/22
6.03531%
22/23
7.5473%
23/24
6.95668%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

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