St Cuthbert's Catholic Academy
Lightwood Avenue, Blackpool, FY4 2AU
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- THE BLESSED EDWARD BAMBER CATHOLIC MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
- Executive Headteacher
- Mrs Sarah Smith
- Religious ethos
- None
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lancaster
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Diocese of Lancaster
- Constituency
- Blackpool South
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 220
- Pupils on roll
- 245
- URN
- 141115
- Local authority
- Blackpool
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01253403232
About this school
St Cuthbert's Catholic Academy is a Roman Catholic primary academy in Blackpool. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 245 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 22 March 2023, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. 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 | 28 | 27 | 29 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 68% | 48% | 66% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 75% | 74% | 76% |
| Expected standard in maths | 82% | 78% | 76% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 79% | 81% | 69% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 103.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 106.0 | 103.0 | 102.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -0.30 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +3.00 | - | - |
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 St Cuthbert's Catholic 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 | Blackpool average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 68% | 51.6% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 48% | 50.7% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 66% | 52.3% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 228 |
| 2023/24 | 236 |
| 2024/25 | 248 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Cuthbert's Catholic Academy compares
St Cuthbert's Catholic Academy ranked 9th of 31 primary schools in Blackpool for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 55% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 52% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 66% | 5.3% | 35.6% | 245 | — |
| Thames Primary Academy | 62% | 6.6% | 57.9% | 444 | 0.4 miles |
| Waterloo Primary Academy | 70% | 7.1% | 56.7% | 600 | 0.4 miles |
| Blackpool Gateway Academy | 44% | 7.5% | 69% | 287 | 0.4 miles |
| Hawes Side Academy | 40% | 7.5% | 38.8% | 340 | 0.7 miles |
| Revoe Learning Academy | 46% | 7.4% | 61.3% | 436 | 0.7 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)
- 35.61%
- English as an additional language
- 21%
- Overall absence
- 5.31%
- Persistent absence
- 13.26%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Thames Primary Academy0.4 miles
Primary · Blackpool
-
Waterloo Primary Academy0.4 miles
Primary · Blackpool
-
Blackpool Gateway Academy0.4 miles
Primary · Blackpool
-
Hawes Side Academy0.7 miles
Primary · Blackpool
-
Revoe Learning Academy0.7 miles
Primary · Blackpool
Other schools in Blackpool
St Cuthbert's Catholic Academy ranks 10th of the 29 ranked primary schools in Blackpool.
- Baines' Endowed Church of England Primary Academy Primary
- Bispham Endowed Church of England Primary School Primary
- Blackpool Gateway Academy Primary
- Blackpool St John's Church of England Primary School Primary
- Blackpool St Nicholas CofE Primary School Primary
- Boundary Primary School Primary
- Christ The King Catholic Academy Primary
- Devonshire Primary Academy Primary
- Hawes Side Academy Primary
- Holy Family Catholic Primary School Primary
- Kincraig Primary School Primary
- Layton Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does St Cuthbert's Catholic Academy teach?
- St Cuthbert's Catholic Academy teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Blackpool.
- Who is the executive headteacher of St Cuthbert's Catholic Academy?
- The executive headteacher of St Cuthbert's Catholic Academy is Mrs Sarah Smith, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Cuthbert's Catholic Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Cuthbert's Catholic 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 St Cuthbert's Catholic Academy?
- St Cuthbert's Catholic Academy has 245 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is St Cuthbert's Catholic Academy full?
- St Cuthbert's Catholic Academy has capacity for 220 pupils and 245 on roll (111%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is St Cuthbert's Catholic Academy a faith school?
- Yes. St Cuthbert's Catholic Academy is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Lancaster.
- Does St Cuthbert's Catholic Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Cuthbert's Catholic Academy as having nursery classes.
- Who runs St Cuthbert's Catholic Academy?
- St Cuthbert's Catholic Academy is part of THE BLESSED EDWARD BAMBER CATHOLIC MULTI ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have St Cuthbert's Catholic Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 68% in 2022/23 and 66% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St Cuthbert's Catholic Academy rank locally?
- St Cuthbert's Catholic Academy ranked 9th of 31 primary schools in Blackpool for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 55% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 52% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St Cuthbert's Catholic Academy's absence rate?
- St Cuthbert's Catholic Academy's overall absence rate is 5.3% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Cuthbert's Catholic Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Cuthbert's Catholic 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.