Blackthorns Community Primary Academy Review 2026: Small-school feel, strong Key Stage 2 outcomes, high demand for places

A one-form-entry primary with 210 places and one class per year group, Blackthorns Community Primary Academy runs on the advantages of scale, children are known, routines are easier to embed, and responsibility roles are visible rather than tokenistic. The school sits within the University of Brighton Academies Trust, which sets shared values and a common behaviour framework across its academies.

Academic results at Key Stage 2 are a clear strength. In 2024, 76% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined, compared with an England average of 62%. At the higher standard, 27% achieved greater depth in reading, writing and mathematics, compared with an England average of 8%. That profile suggests a school that supports the core while also stretching higher attainers.

Demand is a defining feature. For Reception entry, 168 applications were made for 30 offers, which is 5.6 applications per place. That level of competition shapes the parent experience as much as the curriculum does.

Blackthorns opened on 06 January 1972, originally as a response to local place pressure, and it has remained a community-focused school as it has grown into its current one-form-entry model. The scale matters. With seven classes across the school, pupils tend to encounter the same adults regularly, older children are highly visible to younger ones, and leadership roles can be taken seriously because everyone knows who is doing what.

The leadership structure is slightly layered. The senior team includes an Interim Head Teacher, Chris Jowett, who is also the Designated Safeguarding Lead. The most recent inspection documentation also references an executive principal role operating across more than one academy, which is common in multi-academy trust models. For families, the practical implication is that day-to-day school culture is shaped locally, while some strategic decisions sit at trust level.

Values language is used consistently, but it comes from two related sources. Trust-wide values include Achieving Ambitions, Working Together, Delivering Excellence, and Nurturing Potential. In the latest inspection narrative, pupils are described as happy and safe, with positive staff-pupil relationships, and values such as determination, respect, kindness, independence and teamwork are described as being threaded through the curriculum. The overlap is obvious, ambition and kindness are not competing ideas here, they are meant to operate together.

Pastoral culture is reinforced through structured responsibility. The inspection report highlights peer roles such as play leaders in Years 5 and 6, plus pupil leadership routes like eco-committee, sports leaders and house captains. For many children, that matters more than slogans. It makes “contribution” concrete, and it offers lower-key leadership options for pupils who do not want to be front-and-centre in assembly.

Blackthorns sits above England average on headline Key Stage 2 measures. In 2024, 76.33% reached the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined, compared with 62% across England. At the higher standard, 26.67% achieved greater depth across reading, writing and mathematics, compared with 8% across England.

There is also breadth behind the headline. In 2024:

• Reading: average scaled score 109; 83% reached the expected standard; 47% achieved the higher score

• Mathematics: average scaled score 105; 73% reached the expected standard; 20% achieved the higher score

• Grammar, punctuation and spelling: average scaled score 108; 83% reached the expected standard; 37% achieved the higher score

• Science: 87% met the expected standard

Rankings should be read as a useful comparator rather than a definitive verdict, but they provide a benchmark for parents comparing options locally. Ranked 2,984th in England and 4th in the Haywards Heath area for primary outcomes (FindMySchool ranking, based on official data), Blackthorns sits above England average, placing it comfortably within the top 25% of schools in England.

The most recent inspection report is worth understanding in context. The school retains an Outstanding grade on the public record, and the latest inspection (29–30 April 2025) was an ungraded visit to check whether standards were being maintained. The same report flags that some aspects of school work may not be as strong as at the time of the previous inspection, and indicates the next inspection will be graded. That does not negate the strong attainment profile, but it does suggest the school is in a phase where consistency and curriculum embedding matter.

Parents comparing schools can use the FindMySchool Local Hub page to view these results side-by-side, then use the Comparison Tool to keep like-for-like metrics in view, rather than relying on impressions.

Learning is strongly shaped by the school’s use of space. Outdoor learning is not treated as an occasional enrichment day. The school describes two playgrounds, a pond, a woodland area, and an Early Years garden, plus outdoor space linked to every classroom. The teaching and learning information also points to an outdoor classroom and a storytelling chair within the woodland area, plus designated zones for activity and for quieter play.

That physical set-up is a practical lever for curriculum design. It supports science investigations outside, text work linked to outdoor storytelling, and structured play opportunities that suit different temperaments. The implication for parents is that children who regulate better with movement and fresh air are likely to find the school day easier to manage, provided expectations and transitions are consistent.

From an instruction perspective, the inspection evidence points to strong subject knowledge, with lessons often starting by revisiting prior learning. Reading is positioned as a priority, including early phonics, careful book matching, and swift targeted support for pupils who struggle, with a wider diet of texts running across the curriculum. For many families, that reading-first approach is a key reassurance, because it underpins performance in every other subject.

The main developmental focus is coherence and explicitness. The inspection report highlights that pupils sometimes describe the activity rather than articulating the knowledge and skills being built over time, and that some curriculum changes require further embedding. In plain terms, the curriculum intent appears ambitious, but the day-to-day translation into what pupils remember, explain, and apply needs tight consistency across classes.

As a primary academy, the main destination question is secondary transfer at age 11, and the route is coordinated by the local authority for most families. Reception admission information is published clearly, and families should expect the same level of planning and deadlines discipline for secondary transfer later on, with careful attention to application windows.

The school itself does not publish a fixed list of destination secondaries in the materials reviewed. In this area, one commonly-considered option is Oathall Community College, whose admissions information explicitly welcomes applications from primary schools in Lindfield, alongside nearby towns and villages. Other local secondary options in the Haywards Heath area exist, and the right choice depends on catchment, sibling links, and the local authority’s admissions criteria in the year you apply.

A practical approach is to treat Year 5 as the planning year. Use the West Sussex catchment finder tools and admissions guidance early, then attend open events so the eventual application is grounded in day-to-day fit rather than reputation alone.

Reception entry is coordinated through West Sussex County Council using the common application route, rather than applying to the academy directly. For the 2026–27 admissions round, the school publishes a clear timeline:

• Applications open in October 2025

• National closing date: 15 January 2026

• Late applications with a good reason deadline: 11 February 2026 (evidence required)

• National offer day: 16 April 2026

• Induction days: summer term 2026

Competition is the headline story. With 168 applications for 30 offers in the most recent dataset year, the limiting factor is not whether families rate the school, it is whether they can secure a place. If you are considering a move, verify how admissions priorities are applied and how distance is measured for this academy, and do it before you commit to a plan.

Oversubscription criteria are published in full, with priority for children with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the academy, followed by looked-after and previously looked-after children, then other categories including kinship arrangements, exceptional social or medical need, staff children (in defined circumstances), siblings, and residence within the academy’s community area. Where a tie-break is needed, the published method is straight-line distance measurement, with random allocation as a final mechanism if applicants still cannot be separated.

Parents who are distance-sensitive should use the FindMySchoolMap Search to check their precise distance compared with local patterns, then save the shortlist in Saved Schools so it is easy to revisit when application season arrives.

Pastoral care benefits from the school’s small scale, but it is also structured. The inspection evidence points to pupils feeling safe and confident that adults will help them both academically and emotionally. Leadership roles like play leaders and the school council are not just decorative, they create older pupil visibility and reinforce norms in social times, when younger children often need the most support.

Safeguarding is the area where families usually want the clearest statement. The latest inspection confirms that safeguarding arrangements are effective. (This is one of the few areas where official confirmation matters more than paraphrase.)

Attendance expectations are communicated in practical, parent-facing terms, with clear thresholds and an emphasis on routine. The implication is that the school sees attendance as a learning strategy as much as a compliance issue, which tends to go alongside higher attainment, particularly in a one-form-entry environment where absence is more visible.

Outdoor learning is an everyday feature rather than an occasional theme week. The school describes a pond, woodland, and multiple playground spaces, and the inspection narrative shows those spaces being put to use, including developing a woodland area to enable forest school activities. For pupils, that translates into more variety in how learning happens, and for parents it often translates into better end-of-day regulation, especially for children who find sitting still all day difficult.

Extracurricular provision is presented with specific named activities. Examples from the published extracurricular information include forest school style outdoor projects in the woodland space, plus clubs such as Japanese Club (Key Stage 2) and cross-country running. There is also structured performing arts activity on offer, including drama and dance sessions scheduled both before and after school at different points in the year. The key point is not the label “clubs”, it is that opportunities exist across sport, languages, outdoor learning, and performance, with choices that suit different personalities.

The wider enrichment picture includes swimming lessons, instrument tuition, and pupil leadership responsibilities such as eco-committee work and organising events like the Christmas fayre. For children who thrive when they have a job to do, these roles can be as formative as any formal curriculum unit.

This is a state school with no tuition fees. Families should still budget for the normal extras such as uniform, trips, and optional clubs.

The school day structure is clearly set out. Gates open at 08:45 and close at 08:55, and the school day ends at 15:15. Collection arrangements differ by key stage, with Key Stage 1 and Early Years collected from the Key Stage 1 playground and Key Stage 2 collection centred on the Key Stage 2 playground.

Wraparound care is available via a third-party provider offering breakfast provision from 07:00 and after-school care until 18:30. Families should confirm availability and booking arrangements directly with the provider, as spaces and fees can change.

• Admissions pressure. With 168 Reception applications for 30 offers year, entry is the obstacle. Families should plan early, understand the oversubscription criteria, and use mapping tools to sense-check realistic options.

• Curriculum consistency work in progress. The most recent inspection notes that some curriculum changes need further embedding, and that pupils do not always retain or articulate the essential knowledge intended in some subjects. If your child needs very explicit instruction and strong routines to stay focused, ask targeted questions about how consistency is being strengthened across classes.

• Learning behaviour expectations vary. The inspection report highlights that in some lessons pupils do not listen or concentrate as well as they should, and that expectations of learning behaviours are not yet fully consistent across the school. For some children this will be a minor issue, for others it will be a decisive factor.

• SEND classroom adaptation. Ambition for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities is clear, but the inspection evidence indicates that teachers’ adaptations are not consistently effective yet. Families of pupils needing regular, structured adjustments should ask for practical examples of what support looks like day-to-day.

Blackthorns Community Primary Academy combines the intimacy of a one-form-entry school with Key Stage 2 outcomes that sit above England average, and a curriculum that makes purposeful use of outdoor space. For families who secure a place, the school offers a strong reading culture, visible pupil responsibility roles, and wraparound care that supports working patterns.

Best suited to families who want a small-school feel and strong core outcomes, and who can engage early with admissions planning. The biggest limiting factor is access, not the educational offer.