Ofsted: Outstanding trending_up Places Available emoji_events #3 in East Sussex public Top 2% UK

Ark Blacklands Primary Academy

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

personMrs Natalie Rankin

corporate_fareARK SCHOOLS

location_onHastings, TN34 2HU

language Visit Website phone 1424429279

verified

Ofsted

Outstanding

Inspected 2016

groups

Students

629

school

Expected Standard

92%

local_fire_department

Demand Ratio

0.9x

summarize

Ark Blacklands Primary Academy is a Academy sponsor led primary school in Hastings, serving ages 4-11. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted — the highest possible grade. Ranks in the top 2% of primary schools nationally.

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School Summary

Ark Blacklands Primary Academy is an academy sponsor led in Hastings, East Sussex, admitting pupils aged 4-11. It is part of ARK SCHOOLS. The school has approximately 627 pupils on roll, of whom 22% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, 92% of pupils met the expected standard in Reading, Writing and Maths combined, with 14% achieving the higher standard. The school ranks #3 of 129 primaries in East Sussex and #713 of 14,143 nationally.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2016. The school's current overall rating is Outstanding.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 0.9× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 24.2:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there was 1 permanent exclusion. The average suspension rate was 0.6 per 1,000 pupils per term.

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

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

school

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

2025

R/W/M Expected Standard

92%

LA 58%

Reading97% LA 72%

Writing95% LA 69%

Maths93% LA 68%

Read SS

110

Maths SS

108

GPS SS

107

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2024

R/W/M Expected Standard

86%

LA 56%England 61%

Reading92% LA 71% · Eng 74%

Writing90% LA 69% · Eng 72%

Maths90% LA 68% · Eng 73%

Read SS

109

Maths SS

107

GPS SS

105

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2023

R/W/M Expected Standard

85%

LA 55%England 60%

Reading93% LA 70% · Eng 73%

Writing91% LA 68% · Eng 71%

Maths90% LA 66% · Eng 73%

Read SS

109

Maths SS

107

GPS SS

105

Progress (0 = national avg)

2.5

Read

LA -0.9

1.2 to 3.8

1.6

Write

LA -1.5

0.3 to 2.9

1.2

Maths

LA -2.0

-0.1 to 2.4

2019

R/W/M Expected Standard

78%

LA 63%England 65%

Reading81% LA 72% · Eng 73%

Writing91% LA 78% · Eng 78%

Maths88% LA 74% · Eng 79%

Read SS

108

Maths SS

107

GPS SS

108

Progress (0 = national avg)

3.0

Read

LA -0.4

1.6 to 4.4

1.9

Write

LA -0.7

0.6 to 3.2

1.5

Maths

LA -1.2

0.3 to 2.8

2018

R/W/M Expected Standard

85%

LA 65%

Reading88% LA 77%

Writing91% LA 79%

Maths88% LA 74%

Read SS

107

Maths SS

108

GPS SS

108

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

LA 0.5

2.6 to 5.4

3.4

Write

LA -0.3

2.1 to 4.7

5.4

Maths

LA -0.4

4.2 to 6.6

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

07 March 2023

Inspection Report

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01 November 2016

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

2 Evaluations

2016-11-01

Academy First Section 5 Legacy

Outstanding

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

2013-10-15

None Legacy

Inadequate

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Inadequate

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

gavel

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

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

Suspension Rate

0.5%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

National average: 0.8% for this term (primary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

0.2%(1 pupils)

Spring term 2025

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

Permanent Exclusions

1pupils

gavel Exclusion recorded

National average: 1.225% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 627 pupils. During this period, there were 3 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 0.5%, which is below the termly national average of 0.8%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	627	3	0.5%	0.8%	1
2024/25 (Autumn term)	624	4	0.6%	0.9%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	623	1	0.2%	0.8%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	616	5	0.8%	0.7%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	625	7	1.1%	0.8%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	625	4	0.6%	0.7%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	629	1	0.2%	0.6%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	624	2	0.3%	0.6%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	628	0	0.0%	0.5%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	623	1	0.2%	0.5%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	624	2	0.3%	0.5%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	607	1	0.2%	0.4%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	606	0	0.0%	0.1%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	600	0	0.0%	0.4%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	595	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	595	2	0.3%	0.4%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	597	2	0.3%	0.6%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	585	0	0.0%	0.4%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	583	0	0.0%	0.5%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	577	0	0.0%	0.5%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	567	2	0.4%	0.5%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	561	0	0.0%	0.4%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	566	4	0.7%	0.5%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	554	1	0.2%	0.4%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	551	0	0.0%	0.4%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	543	0	0.0%	0.5%	0

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

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psychology_alt

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.

Other Difficulty/Disability 46 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 32 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 16 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 6 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 3 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 2 pupils

Visual Impairment 2 pupils

Hearing Impairment 1 pupils

Multi-Sensory Impairment 1 pupils

health_and_safety

Parent View on Pastoral Care

Results from the official Ofsted Parent View survey, reflecting direct parent sentiment regarding the school environment.

My child is happy at this school.

94.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

96.0%Positive

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

16.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree63%

agree31%

disagree3%

don't know3%

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

strongly agree67%

agree32%

disagree1%

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

strongly agree38%

agree23%

disagree6%

strongly disagree4%

don't know1%

not applicable27%

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

yes17%

no83%

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

strongly agree53%

agree24%

strongly disagree18%

dont know6%

The school has high expectations for my child.

strongly agree59%

agree35%

disagree3%

strongly disagree1%

don't know2%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree63%

agree30%

strongly disagree2%

don't know5%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree54%

agree37%

disagree7%

strongly disagree1%

don't know1%

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

strongly agree57%

agree39%

disagree1%

strongly disagree1%

don't know2%

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

strongly agree62%

agree34%

disagree1%

strongly disagree1%

don't know2%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree54%

agree30%

disagree8%

strongly disagree4%

don't know4%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes91%

no9%

Top Primary Schools in East Sussex

Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

View all arrow_forward

Breakwater Academy

Good

location_on Newhaven, BN9 9UT

emoji_events #1 in LA

Sandown Primary School and Nursery

Good

location_on Hastings, TN34 2AA

emoji_events #2 in LA

Pevensey and Westham CofE Primary School

Requires improvement

location_on Pevensey, BN24 5LP

emoji_events #4 in LA

Peacehaven Heights Academy

Requires improvement

location_on Peacehaven, BN10 7QY

emoji_events #5 in LA

St Peter and St Paul CofE Primary School

Outstanding

location_on Bexhill-on-Sea, TN40 1QE

emoji_events #6 in LA

Hawkes Farm Academy

Good

location_on Hailsham, BN27 1ND

emoji_events #7 in LA

View all schools in East Sussex arrow_forward

School Summary

Academic Performance

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Distance to School

School Capacity

Primary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Parent View on Pastoral Care

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

My child does well at this school.

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

I would recommend this school to another parent.

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Primary Schools in East Sussex

Breakwater Academy

Sandown Primary School and Nursery

Pevensey and Westham CofE Primary School

Peacehaven Heights Academy

St Peter and St Paul CofE Primary School

Hawkes Farm Academy