Blackthorns Community Primary School, Haywards Heath

Ofsted's report card from its 23 June 2026 inspection grades Blackthorns Community Primary School on 7 areas: 1 strong standard and 6 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Achievement - Strong standard. "Pupils achieve highly in this school."

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Attendance is high because leaders make this a priority."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "Leaders have developed a broad curriculum."

Early years - Expected standard. "Well-developed routines mean that children in the early years settle quickly into school life."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Leaders use a range of strategies to identify pupils' needs."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "The school joined a new academy trust in June 2026."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Leaders have established a coherent personal development programme."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that highly effective teaching is embedded across subjects and year groups"; "Leaders should continue to embed the personal development programme to ensure pupils are very well prepared for life beyond school".

In 2025, 93% of Year 6 pupils at Blackthorns Community Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 93% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 76% and 72% in West Sussex and 77% and 75% across England.

Results rose from 83% in reading and 73% in maths in 2024.

With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.

For September 2026 entry, 21 families put Blackthorns Community Primary School as their first choice and 154 named it as one of their preferences, for 30 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state primary schools to Blackthorns Community Primary School are Lindfield Primary Academy (0.2 miles, Outstanding, 78% reading, 89% maths); Warden Park Primary Academy (0.7 miles, Good, 82% reading, 72% maths); St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (0.9 miles, Good, 81% reading, 86% maths); and St Wilfrid's CofE Primary School (0.9 miles, 77% reading, 71% maths).

Blackthorns Community Primary School's 2025 results were higher than all 4 of them.

Blackthorns Community Primary School is one of 14 schools run by Hurst Education Trust Limited, an academy trust.

Across the trust's primary schools, 72% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.

72 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Blackthorns Community Primary School (as of September 2025): 83% would recommend the school, 86% say their child is happy there and 41% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (90%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (41%).

3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 4.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (77%), Mixed (8%) and Asian (7%).

In 2026, 19 pupils (9.4%) received SEN support and 7 (3.4%) 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 speech, language and communication needs.

The nearest railway station is Haywards Heath Rail Station, about 0.8 miles away in a straight line.

8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Appledore Gardens (n-bound), 240 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Blackthorns Community Primary School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In 2024/25, Blackthorns Community Primary School issued 7 suspensions, 3.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.