Blanford Mere Primary School, Kingswinford
Blanford Mere Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Kingswinford. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in October 2013. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in February 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 2nd-highest of the 9 schools in Kingswinford with published results, and 3,246th of 14,452 across England. For 2026 entry it had 1.3 first-choice applications for every place. It was full in 2025, at 102% of capacity.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2013)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Dudley (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Blanford Mere Primary School in detail
Blanford Mere Primary School in its own words
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, tennis, swimming and photography.
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care until 6:00pm.
Coming up: an open day on Monday 26 October 2026, an open day on Friday 30 October 2026, an open day on Monday 2 November 2026 and an open day on Friday 6 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Dudley
Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)Open days on the school's site (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 89% of Year 6 pupils at Blanford Mere Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 82% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 76% and 75% in Dudley and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 80% in reading and 82% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Blanford Mere Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 58 families put Blanford Mere Primary School as their first choice and 112 named it as one of their preferences, for 45 places offered. That is 1.3 first choices for every place. 15 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Blanford Mere Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Blanford Mere Primary School are St Mary's CofE Primary School (0.3 miles, 70% reading, 59% maths); Dawley Brook Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 69% reading, 59% maths); Church of the Ascension CofE Primary School (0.7 miles, 80% reading, 80% maths); and Maidensbridge Primary School (0.9 miles, Good, 97% reading, 83% maths).
Blanford Mere Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.
St Mary's CofE Primary SchoolDawley Brook Primary SchoolChurch of the Ascension CofE Primary SchoolMaidensbridge Primary School
Who goes there
8.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 4.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (79%), Mixed (7%) and Asian (5%).
In 2026, 49 pupils (15.8%) received SEN support and 6 (1.9%) 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.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Lye (West Midlands) Rail Station, about 3.5 miles away in a straight line.
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is The Village (adjacent), 360 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Blanford Mere Primary School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. On income deprivation affecting children it is in the 6th decile, where the 1st is the most deprived. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 90 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, shoplifting and vehicle crime. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Dudley (212).
Suspensions and exclusions
Blanford Mere Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Blanford Mere Primary School are Kingswinford Academy (0.4 miles), The Crestwood School (0.9 miles) and Summerhill School (1.1 miles).
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; 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
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoThis judgement is from October 2013, 13 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's February 2023 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Blanford Mere creates a calm, welcoming environment where children enjoy learning and build strong relationships with adults and each other. Teachers have high expectations and deliver a rich curriculum with real-world connections - for example, using maths skills for shopping and exploring local history. Children develop responsibility through meaningful leadership roles and benefit from excellent support for those with additional needs.
Key Strengths
- Ambitious, well-developed curriculum with strong teaching in subjects like mathematics and early reading support
- Inclusive approach with excellent support for pupils with special educational needs
- Excellent behaviour and conduct with consistent high expectations applied across the school
- Rich range of opportunities including inter-school competitions, trips, visitors and pupil leadership roles
- Early years children get off to a great start with strong focus on language and early maths skills
Areas for Improvement
- Home reading books are not well matched to pupils' phonics knowledge, slowing progress for some readers
- Curriculum plans in some subjects are newly introduced and not yet fully embedded
- Identifying and embedding crucial knowledge and vocabulary across all year groups is still in early stages
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with staff clear about reporting concerns, alert to signs of abuse, and the curriculum helping pupils stay safe in their community and online.
Extracurricular Activities
Inter-school competitions, trips, visitors, peer supporter roles, digital leader roles, rights respecting champion roles, lunchtime games and activities
Blanford Mere Primary School continues to be a good school, providing an inclusive and welcoming learning environment from Nursery to Year 6 where pupils experience strong relationships and high expectations.
At a Glance
8.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 80% to 89% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 82% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 78% to 89% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
25.9
Avg class size
22.5
Infant (KS1)
29.3
KS2
12
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Blanford Mere Primary School
Term dates
Blanford Mere Primary School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Dudley. Training (INSET) days, when pupils are not in school, vary by school: check the school's own calendar.
2026 to 2027
- Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026)
- Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027)
- Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027)
2027 to 2028
- Autumn term: Thursday 2 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027)
- Spring term: Tuesday 4 January to Friday 7 April 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028)
- Summer term: Monday 24 April to Friday 21 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028)
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Blanford Mere Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Blanford Mere Primary School is in Dudley; for families living there:
- How to apply: Apply for Education Travel Support
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 5
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 0 serious and 4 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
1 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 Dudley is 18 (the median across 118 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 Blanford Mere Primary School
Will you get a place at Blanford Mere Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Blanford Mere Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Blanford Mere Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Blanford Mere Primary School.
- Dudley publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Blanford Mere Primary School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Blanford Mere Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Dudley 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
102%
Over capacity
313 pupils
307 places
6 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Kingswinford
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Kingswinford
Across Dudley council
Places available
3,812
Applications
3,314
Got 1st preference
92.0%
Got preferred school
98.5%
All primary applications across Dudley council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(11)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
49
SEN Support
6
EHC Plans
17.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
311
Total Pupils
170
Boys
141
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
18
Teachers
17.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,404
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,076
Per pupil
£1735k
Total funding
£41k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.8%
Overall absence
5.9%
Persistent absence
273
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
Blanford Mere Primary School
Questions parents ask about Blanford Mere Primary School
What are SATs results like at Blanford Mere Primary School?
Of the pupils at Blanford Mere Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 89% reached the expected standard in reading and 82% did so in maths.
What is Blanford Mere Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Blanford Mere Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in October 2013, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Blanford Mere Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Blanford Mere Primary School is oversubscribed, Dudley allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Blanford Mere Primary School?
Blanford Mere Primary School was full in 2025, at 102% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Blanford Mere Primary School?
Classes at Blanford Mere Primary School average 25.9 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Blanford Mere Primary School?
Blanford Mere Primary School has around 311 pupils on roll. 9% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Blanford Mere Primary School?
3.8% of sessions were missed at Blanford Mere Primary School in 2024/25. 5.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Blanford Mere Primary School?
Apply through Dudley's coordinated admissions process, naming Blanford Mere Primary School 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.
What are Blanford Mere Primary School's term dates?
Blanford Mere Primary School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Dudley. In 2026 to 2027: Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026); Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027); Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027). In 2027 to 2028: Autumn term: Thursday 2 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027); Spring term: Tuesday 4 January to Friday 7 April 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028); Summer term: Monday 24 April to Friday 21 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028).
How many road collisions happen near Blanford Mere Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 0 serious and 4 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 1 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 Dudley is 18 (the median across 118 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Blanford Mere Primary School?
Blanford Mere Primary School is at Mimosa Walk, Kingswinford, West Midlands, DY6 7EA.
Sources: Dudley term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)