Ofsted: Good trending_up Places Available emoji_events #10 in Bexley public Top 29% UK

Blackfen School for Girls

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMr Matthew Brown

corporate_fareBLACKFEN SCHOOL FOR GIRLS

location_onSidcup, DA15 9NU

language Visit Website phone 2083031887

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Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2025

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Students

1,464

trending_up

Attainment 8

44.1

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GCSE Rank

#10 in Bexley

#1,917 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

Blackfen School for Girls is a Academy converter secondary school in Sidcup, serving ages 11-18. Rated Good by Ofsted.

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School Summary

Blackfen School for Girls is an academy converter in Sidcup, Bexley, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of BLACKFEN SCHOOL FOR GIRLS. The school has approximately 1,402 pupils on roll, of whom 19% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 44.1, placing the school #10 in Bexley and #1,917 of 3,216 nationally. 38.60% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 15.1% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 19 A-level subjects. 50.6% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 14.0% at A*–A. A-level value added: +0.19 — students made above-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2025. The school's current overall rating is Good. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Good, behaviour and attitudes Good, personal development Good, and leadership and management Good.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 0.5× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 17.1:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there was 1 permanent exclusion. The average suspension rate was 4.4 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

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Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

44.1

Grade 5+ E&M

38.60%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)15.1%

Entering EBacc21.90%

EBacc APS3.63

2024

Progress 8 Score

-0.14

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

46.9

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc21.50%

EBacc APS3.89

2023

Progress 8 Score

-0.11

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

46.4

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc18%

EBacc APS3.81

2022

Progress 8 Score

-0.23

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

47.8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc18%

EBacc APS3.94

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc24%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

0.03

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

46.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc40%

EBacc APS3.86

2018

Progress 8 Score

0.02

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

47.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc35%

EBacc APS3.91

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Student Destinations (After Secondary)

This module shows what students did after finishing Key Stage 4 (GCSEs). It reflects how well the school prepares pupils for the real world.

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

95%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)91%

Apprenticeships4%

EmploymentSP%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

95%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)90%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

97%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)92%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)89%

Apprenticeships5%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)87%

Apprenticeships5%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

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Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

A-level results for students who stayed in sixth form at this school. Value added measures how much progress students made relative to their GCSE starting point.

2025

A-Level Value Added

+0.19

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make above-average progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

C+

Students

111

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*3.2%

Achieving A*–A14.0%

Achieving A*–B50.6%

VA Banding Above average

Retention rate96.4%

A-level subjects offered19

2024

A-Level Value Added

+0.18

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make above-average progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate95.70%

2023

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate96.70%

2022

Avg Grade

B-

Students

116

Retention rate99.1%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

11 March 2025

Inspection Report

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17 December 2019

Inspection Report

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01 March 2016

Inspection Report

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10 August 2012

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

4 Evaluations

2025-03-11

S5 Inspection EIF

Not Judged

info

Why no overall grade?

From autumn 2024, Ofsted stopped issuing a single headline grade (Outstanding / Good / RI / Inadequate). Instead, each inspection area is graded individually. This follows a major review after the death of headteacher Ruth Perry in 2023. The overall effectiveness field is left as "Not judged" in the published data.

Education

Good

Behaviour

Good

Development

Good

Leadership

Good

2016-03-01

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

2011-11-23

S5 Inspection Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2009-04-29

None EIF

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Requires improvement

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

3.2%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

National average: 7.3% for this term (secondary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

1.9%(27 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 1,402 pupils. During this period, there were 45 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 3.2%, which is below the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	1,402	45	3.2%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,399	78	5.6%	7.8%	1
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,476	93	6.3%	7.4%	2
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,483	92	6.2%	7.1%	2
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,485	94	6.3%	8.2%	2
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,455	90	6.2%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,464	111	7.6%	6.4%	2
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,481	83	5.6%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,488	41	2.8%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,500	45	3.0%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,495	49	3.3%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,456	58	4.0%	3.6%	4
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,461	16	1.1%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,468	27	1.8%	3.9%	1
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,367	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,367	32	2.3%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,370	39	2.8%	4.2%	2
2018/19 (Summer term)	1,384	18	1.3%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	1,398	56	4.0%	3.8%	2
2018/19 (Autumn term)	1,405	29	2.1%	3.8%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	1,355	36	2.7%	3.4%	2
2017/18 (Spring term)	1,365	33	2.4%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	1,369	19	1.4%	3.7%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	1,331	26	2.0%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	1,336	23	1.7%	3.3%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	1,337	27	2.0%	3.1%	0

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 51 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 26 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 24 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 18 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 4 pupils

Hearing Impairment 4 pupils

Visual Impairment 3 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 3 pupils