Ark Blacklands Primary Academy
Osborne Close, Hastings, TN34 2HU
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- ARK SCHOOLS
- Head of School
- Mrs Mary Quinn
- Sponsor
- ARK Schools
- Constituency
- Hastings and Rye
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 630
- Pupils on roll
- 623
- URN
- 141021
- Local authority
- East Sussex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01424429279
About this school
Ark Blacklands Primary Academy is a primary academy in Hastings. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 623 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 8 March 2023, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Outstanding. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 87 | 88 | 87 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 85% | 86% | 92% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 11% | 16% | 14% |
| Expected standard in reading | 93% | 92% | 97% |
| Expected standard in maths | 90% | 90% | 93% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 83% | 74% | 85% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 109.0 | 109.0 | 110.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 107.0 | 107.0 | 108.0 |
| Reading progress | +2.50 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.60 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.20 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Ark Blacklands Primary Academy has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | East Sussex average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 85% | 54.8% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 86% | 56.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 92% | 57.6% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 629 |
| 2023/24 | 616 |
| 2024/25 | 627 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Ark Blacklands Primary Academy compares
Ark Blacklands Primary Academy ranked 2nd of 131 primary schools in East Sussex for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 98% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 59% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 92% | 5.1% | 21.9% | 623 | — |
| Mulberry Baird Primary | 56% | 7.8% | 50.5% | 276 | 0.5 miles |
| St Paul's Church of England Academy | 72% | 5.9% | 38.3% | 634 | 0.7 miles |
| Ark Castledown Primary Academy | 78% | 6.4% | 58.4% | 403 | 0.8 miles |
| Mulberry Silverdale Primary | 60% | 6.8% | 24.1% | 618 | 0.9 miles |
| Christ Church CofE Primary and Nursery Academy | 50% | 6.2% | 50.4% | 428 | 0.9 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 21.85%
- English as an additional language
- 13.1%
- Overall absence
- 5.08%
- Persistent absence
- 11.4%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Mulberry Baird Primary0.5 miles
Primary · Hastings
-
St Paul's Church of England Academy0.7 miles
Primary · St Leonards-on-Sea
-
Ark Castledown Primary Academy0.8 miles
Primary · Hastings
-
Mulberry Silverdale Primary0.9 miles
Primary · St Leonards-On-Sea
-
Christ Church CofE Primary and Nursery Academy0.9 miles
Primary · Hastings
Other schools in Hastings
Ark Blacklands Primary Academy ranks 1st of the 9 ranked primary schools in Hastings.
- All Saints CofE Junior Academy Primary
- Ark Castledown Primary Academy Primary
- Christ Church CofE Primary and Nursery Academy Primary
- Dudley Infant Academy Primary
- Guestling Bradshaw Church of England Primary School Primary
- Mulberry Baird Primary Primary
- Ore Village Primary Academy Primary
- Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School Primary
- Sandown Primary School and Nursery Primary
- Westfield School Primary
- Ark Alexandra Academy Secondary
- Mulberry Academy Hastings Secondary
Common questions
- What year groups does Ark Blacklands Primary Academy teach?
- Ark Blacklands Primary Academy teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Hastings.
- Who is the head of school of Ark Blacklands Primary Academy?
- The head of school of Ark Blacklands Primary Academy is Mrs Mary Quinn, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Ark Blacklands Primary Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Ark Blacklands Primary Academy, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is Ark Blacklands Primary Academy?
- Ark Blacklands Primary Academy has 623 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Ark Blacklands Primary Academy full?
- Ark Blacklands Primary Academy has capacity for 630 pupils and 623 on roll (99%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Ark Blacklands Primary Academy a faith school?
- No. Ark Blacklands Primary Academy has no designated religious character.
- Does Ark Blacklands Primary Academy have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Ark Blacklands Primary Academy as having no nursery classes.
- Who runs Ark Blacklands Primary Academy?
- Ark Blacklands Primary Academy is part of ARK SCHOOLS. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Ark Blacklands Primary Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 85% in 2022/23 and 92% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Ark Blacklands Primary Academy rank locally?
- Ark Blacklands Primary Academy ranked 2nd of 131 primary schools in East Sussex for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 98% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 59% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Ark Blacklands Primary Academy's absence rate?
- Ark Blacklands Primary Academy's overall absence rate is 5.1% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Ark Blacklands Primary Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Ark Blacklands Primary Academy's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 1 July 2026.