Armfield Academy Review 2026: An all-through school with strong wraparound care and improving foundations

An all-through academy on Blackpool’s South Shore, Armfield Academy has grown quickly since opening in September 2018 and now serves children from Nursery through to GCSE.

Leadership is clearly structured across phases. Mark Kilmurray has been the headteacher since the school opened, alongside an executive headteacher role held by Stephen Cox.

For parents, the practical offer is a major strength. The main day runs 08:45 to 15:15 in primary and 08:45 to 15:20 in secondary; breakfast and after-school clubs extend the day for younger pupils.

The school’s latest full inspection outcome is Good (February 2023), with Good judgements across quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years.

This is a relatively new school by Blackpool standards, and its identity has been shaped as much by rapid growth as by tradition. Since the opening cohort, the message has been consistent: high expectations, clear routines, and a strong emphasis on students being ready to learn. Early communications at opening also highlighted a focus on enrichment, including sports and clubs as part of what students build with staff rather than something bolted on later.

The “all-through” structure matters in daily life. For many families, the appeal is straightforward: one school community from age three to sixteen, with familiar systems and staff continuity at the key transition points. That can be particularly reassuring for children who benefit from predictability, and it reduces the pressure of reapplying for a different secondary if you are happy with the experience in primary.

Early years has its own tone and rhythm. Nursery is branded as “The Nest”, with a clearly defined staff team and a practical, routine-led approach to sessions, snacks, and personal development habits. The nursery information also signals a setting that pays attention to health and daily readiness, including structured lunchtime routines.

At secondary level, outcomes sit below typical levels for England on the measures available here, and that context is important for parent expectations.

For GCSE performance, Armfield Academy is ranked 3,495th in England and 4th in Blackpool for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data). This places the school below England average, within the lower 40% of secondary schools in England. The average Attainment 8 score is 35.2, and the Progress 8 score is -1.11, which indicates pupils made less progress than pupils nationally with similar starting points.

That does not mean students cannot do well, but it does mean families should ask direct questions about how the school is addressing gaps, particularly in core subjects and literacy, and what targeted support looks like for students who arrive behind.

For the primary phase, comparable Key Stage 2 performance measures are not included in the latest published performance snapshot available for this school. For primary-age families, the most reliable public evidence is therefore the inspection evidence and the school’s own curriculum and assessment reporting, rather than headline outcome statistics.

The most persuasive evidence about teaching quality is the way the curriculum is described and evaluated. The February 2023 inspection emphasises an ambitious curriculum, with leaders selecting content they want pupils and students to remember, and structuring learning so that knowledge builds over time.

In an all-through context, that joined-up planning is more than a buzzword. It is the difference between Year 6 feeling like a separate primary experience and Year 7 feeling like a reset. When it works well, pupils arrive into secondary with consistent language around reading, routines, and expectations, and teachers can spend more time teaching rather than re-training.

Homework expectations appear clearly framed at secondary age, including the use of “prep” language and consistent follow-through. The detail matters because it signals a school that is trying to build habits as a route to better outcomes, not simply hoping that ambition turns into results.

Early years and primary learning is positioned as structured and developmental. Nursery information sets out a planned, theme-led approach across half terms, shaped by children’s interests but anchored to the Early Years Foundation Stage areas of learning.

Because Armfield Academy’s upper age is 16, the immediate “next step” is post-16 study elsewhere rather than sixth form progression within the same school. This makes careers education, guidance, and transition planning particularly important from Year 9 onward, as students will need clear support to choose between sixth forms and further education colleges.

The school’s published careers information shows planned exposure to further and higher education, including visits and careers conventions (including virtual formats), and careers learning integrated into PSHE for younger year groups.

For primary pupils, the “next step” question is different. In an all-through model, a large proportion of pupils typically stay on into Year 7, and that continuity can be a practical advantage for families who want a stable pathway. The most useful question for parents of Year 5 and Year 6 pupils is how transition is handled for those staying, and what support looks like for pupils joining from other primaries.

Armfield Academy is part of Blackpool’s coordinated admissions system for Reception and Year 7, and the school is also clear that it links parents to the relevant local admission schemes.

Demand indicators suggest competition for places. For Reception entry, there were 125 applications for 60 offers, around 2.08 applications per place. For Year 7, there were 394 applications for 159 offers, around 2.48 applications per place. These are signs of an oversubscribed school in both entry routes, so families should take deadlines seriously and apply on time.

For September 2026 entry, Blackpool’s secondary application window runs from 01 September 2025 to 31 October 2025.

For September 2026 primary (Reception) entry, applications typically open on 01 September 2025 with a national closing date of 15 January 2026, and offers are issued on 16 April 2026.

Open events tend to be timed for early autumn. For example, local school communications listed an Armfield open evening in early October 2025. Families looking for later entry points should expect a similar pattern each year and check the school’s latest published calendar.

Nursery admissions work differently from Reception. Nursery places are offered as sessional options and full days, and families should treat nursery as its own admission step rather than assuming it guarantees Reception entry.

A practical tip for parents shortlisting: use the FindMySchool Map Search to check travel time realism at drop-off and pick-up, then compare that with your household’s ability to manage the wraparound pattern if needed.

Pastoral quality is one of the strongest themes in the school’s external evidence base. The school works with Blackpool Football Club Community Trust for in-school mentoring, including 1:1 mentoring focused on resilience, confidence, and strategies for managing stress. For some students, this kind of structured adult relationship is the difference between coping and disengaging, particularly during early adolescence.

The February 2023 inspection also confirms a broadly positive picture of behaviour and personal development at the time of inspection, with those areas judged Good.

For families, the most important pastoral questions to ask relate to consistency and escalation. How quickly is low-level disruption addressed, what support is in place for attendance or anxiety, and how does the school communicate concerns early rather than waiting for patterns to harden.

Armfield Academy provides more specificity than many schools about what “clubs” actually means. The performing arts offer includes drama club, vocal group, keyboard club, and rock school, with performance opportunities across the year.

Older documents also show the kind of breadth that tends to matter to students: Code Club, French Club, Science Club, Reading Club, and a Virtual Newspaper Club are all named, alongside homework support and sport clubs that change by half term.

Sport and facilities are also part of the school’s identity. From the earliest days of the school opening, communications referenced a 4G pitch as a focal point for students at breaktimes.

In practical terms, that typically supports both curriculum PE and after-school fixtures, and it also helps keep winter sport viable when grass pitches become difficult.

A final extracurricular strand is community partnership. The school’s connection with the Blackpool Football Club Community Trust is not only about mentoring; it also signals that enrichment, leadership opportunities, and structured activity are part of how the school tries to widen experience for pupils who may not get the same access outside school hours.

School hours are clearly published: primary runs 08:45 to 15:15 and secondary runs 08:45 to 15:20.

Wraparound care is a meaningful part of the offer. Breakfast club runs 08:00 to 08:45 and after-school club runs 15:15 to 17:30 on weekdays in term time. The school publishes full club terms and expectations in its wraparound policy.

Nursery also sets out a clear pattern of morning, afternoon, and full-day sessions, with optional extended hours; families should check the school’s current nursery page for up-to-date session availability.

For travel, Blackpool Transport lists services 5, 5a, 5b, and 11 as bus options for Armfield Academy, which is useful for older students travelling independently and for parents planning work-compatible drop-offs.

• Secondary outcomes are a key improvement area. GCSE performance measures available here place the school below typical levels for England. Families should ask what intervention looks like for literacy, numeracy, and attendance, and how progress is tracked for students who start behind.

• An all-through model reduces one transition but raises the stakes of the initial choice. If you join early and later decide the school is not right, moving can be more disruptive than switching at the usual Year 7 breakpoint.

• Oversubscription is real at both entry points. Reception and Year 7 demand levels indicate competition, so deadline discipline matters, and families should plan a realistic set of preferences.

• Nursery is structured and practical, but it is not an automatic route to Reception. Parents should treat nursery as a separate decision and confirm how progression is handled in practice.

Armfield Academy offers a practical, parent-friendly model: an all-through pathway, strong wraparound care, and a clearly structured enrichment programme that includes real, named clubs. The school’s latest inspection outcome is positive, particularly around the consistency of provision across areas inspected.

The major question is secondary outcomes. For families considering Years 7 to 11, the fit is strongest for students who respond well to clear routines, consistent homework expectations, and structured support, and for parents who want an all-through school with wraparound flexibility. Entry remains the main hurdle, and for secondary-age families the key due diligence is understanding the school’s improvement trajectory and what support looks like when students struggle.