A council (local authority) in the North West
In short: Most primary schools here are rated Good or better, about the same as across England. Results at 11 are below England, and results at 16 were below England in 2026. Missing school is a bigger problem than across England.
Blackpool at a glance
How Blackpool's schools compare with England, area by area.
Primary and secondary schools are ranked by Eduscope score, which weighs up results, inspections, attendance and more. Nurseries, special and independent schools aren't ranked. A high score isn't everything: always visit.
30 mainstream schools in Blackpool, best first
Results well above the England average.
32 first choices, 29 offers made
Met the standard at 1179%
England 62%
Results well above the England average.
41 first choices, 29 offers made
Met the standard at 1179%
England 62%
Results well above the England average.
62 first choices, 60 offers made
Met the standard at 1175%
England 62%
6 mainstream schools in Blackpool, best first
Blackpool, FY4 4PH · Academy · Secondary · Ages 11 to 16
Results well above the England average.
298 first choices, 207 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1655.4
England 46.2
Results close to the England average.
245 first choices, 204 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1644.2
England 46.2
Results below the England average.
232 first choices, 248 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1640.9
England 46.2
36 in Blackpool, highest Ofsted grade first
Blackpool, FY4 2QR · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
Blackpool, FY3 9JL · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
Blackpool, FY4 1PU · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
4 in Blackpool, by the school's Eduscope score
Results close to the England average.
245 first choices, 204 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1644.2
England 46.2
Blackpool, FY3 9HF · Academy · All-through · Ages 2 to 19
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Blackpool, FY3 7LR · Academy · Sixth Form · Ages 16 to 19
No published results yet.
7 in Blackpool. Eduscope doesn't rank these.
Blackpool, FY3 7LS · Academy · All-through · Ages 2 to 19
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Blackpool, FY3 9HF · Academy · All-through · Ages 2 to 19
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Fy4 5aj · Independent · Secondary · Ages 11 to 17
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
6 in Blackpool. Eduscope doesn't rank these.
Blackpool, FY1 6JJ · Independent · Secondary · Ages 14 to 16
Independent school. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Blackpool, FY3 7UN · Independent · Secondary · Ages 11 to 16
Independent school. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Fy4 5aj · Independent · Secondary · Ages 11 to 17
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Each dot is a school or nursery, coloured by its latest Ofsted grade. Point at a dot to see its name, or use the list.
Apply through the council where you live, even for a school in another council's area. Independent schools take applications directly.
Blackpool is a unitary authority in the North West with 30 mainstream primary schools and 6 mainstream secondary schools. Most state schools here are academies or free schools (88%), so many set their own term dates and admissions rules.
From Blackpool council's website, checked 7 November 2026. Check the council's pages before you apply.
School admissions team: schoolaccess@blackpool.gov.uk · 01253 476637
If a date falls on a weekend or bank holiday, offers go out the next working day.
93.9%got their first-choice primary school in Blackpool in 2026. England: 92.4%. Ranked 63 of 151 councils. 98.7% got one of their top three.3.7% were offered a primary school in another council. England: 3.6%.
84.9%got their first-choice secondary school in Blackpool in 2026. England: 83.6%. Ranked 72 of 151 councils. 94.7% got one of their top three.11.2% were offered a secondary school in another council. England: 8.0%.
Source: DfE applications and offers, 2026. A low rate shows high demand, not poor schools.
2 of 16 primary appeals heard in Blackpool succeeded in 2025. 32 of 107 secondary appeals heard in Blackpool succeeded in 2025.
Pick a stage to see every Blackpool school for that age, with filters for type, faith and Ofsted grade.
Ages 0 to 4
1 Outstanding, 29 Good, 1 need to improve.
36nurseries
Ages 4 to 11
100% Good or better. 55% met the standard at 11.
36schools
Ages 11 to 16
3 Good, 3 need to improve. 35% got grade 5 in English and maths.
19schools
2 Outstanding, 2 Good, 1 need to improve. About 8 pupils per teacher.
7schools
Here's how Blackpool's schools break down by type, faith and more.
Some areas, like parts of a bigger town, are easiest to find by postcode.
Inspections, exam results and attendance, next to the figure for England where we have it.
BlackpoolEngland
Primaries rated Good or Outstanding
Latest Ofsted grade, 20 primaries with one.
100%
England 96%
Close to England
Secondaries rated Good or Outstanding
3 of the 6 with a grade.
50%
England 93%
Met the expected standard at 11
Reading, writing and maths.
55%
England 62%
Grade 5 or above in English and maths
At GCSE.
35%
Pupils who miss a lot of school
Missed 1 in 10 days or more. Lower is better.
22%
England 18%
Primary pupils on free school meals
A sign of family income, not of school quality.
42%
Latest graded inspection for the 34 schools that have one.
88%
Good or Outstanding
Blackpool in blue. There were no tests in 2020 and 2021 because of Covid.
The latest published year for each measure. Sources and years are on our data sources page.
| Measure | Blackpool | England |
|---|---|---|
| Good or Outstanding (Ofsted) | 88% | 95% |
| Met the expected standard at 11 (KS2) | 55% | 62% |
| Attainment 8 | 38.4 | 46.2 |
| Persistent absence | 22% | 18% |
| Pupils per teacher | 16.8:1 | 17.9:1 |
| Spending per pupil | £8,551 | £8,120 |
| In education or work after 16 | 84% | 91% |
| Went on to higher education | 72% | 56% |
| Pupils with special educational needs | 23% | 21% |
| Pupils with English as an additional language | 12% | 22% |
| Pupils on free school meals | 43% | 27% |
DfE local authority code 890, ONS code E06000009.
Blackpool has 86 schools and nurseries.
There are 5% more pupils than in 2018, but numbers have fallen since 2025.
42% of primary pupils here get free school meals. Schools get extra money for each of them.
Pupils in Blackpool's state schools each January.
Up 5% since 2018. More children can mean popular schools fill up faster.
Out of every 10 primary pupils, how many get free school meals. It's a sign of family income, not of school quality.
Blackpool42%
Follow any school and we'll email you when it gets a new Ofsted report or new results are out. Nothing else.
Blackpool has 86 schools, including 36 primary schools, 19 secondary schools, 36 nurseries, 6 independent schools, 7 special schools. Some count in more than one group. You can browse each category using the filters on Eduscope.
The highest-ranked schools in Blackpool on Eduscope are Kincraig Primary School, Westcliff Primary Academy, Blackpool St Nicholas CofE Primary School. We rank each state school against schools of the same phase across England on its Ofsted inspection, results and attendance. Independent, special and nursery schools aren't ranked.
88% of inspected schools in Blackpool hold a Good or Outstanding Ofsted rating, which is below the England average of 94.8%. This includes 3 schools rated Outstanding and 27 rated Good.
Across primary schools in Blackpool, 55% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths at Key Stage 2. This is based on the latest published results from the Department for Education.
The average pupil-teacher ratio across schools in Blackpool is 16.8:1. While not a direct measure of class size, this indicates the level of teaching resource available per pupil. Across England it is 17.9:1.
The persistent absence rate across schools in Blackpool is 22.0%. A pupil is classed as persistently absent if they miss 10% or more of school sessions. Across England it is 18.1%.
There are 19,508 pupils enrolled across schools in Blackpool, with 11,109 in primary and 8,399 in secondary. 43.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals.
There are 6 independent schools in Blackpool. Fees vary by school and age group, with day school fees typically ranging from £10,000 to £20,000 per year. You can compare all private schools in Blackpool on Eduscope, including ISI inspection ratings where available.
Start by considering your child's age, your location, and whether you prefer a state or independent school. Use Eduscope to compare 86 schools in Blackpool by Ofsted ratings, exam results, and distance. Filter by school type, gender, religious character, and admissions policy to narrow your options.
Sources: DfE school performance tables, DfE school census and workforce, DfE pupil absence, Ofsted. Photos are stand-ins.
