Schools by area › Blackpool › Highfield Leadership Academy
Highfield Leadership Academy
Secondary · Mixed · Ages 11–16 · Sponsored academy
Highfield Road, Blackpool FY4 3JZ · highfieldleadershipacademy.com · 01253 965750
Overview
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement
- 2019 framework · inspected Mar 2024
- GCSEs, 2024/25
- 30
- average Attainment 8 score. Blackpool 37, England 46
- Demand for places
- 0.7
- first choices for each place · Year 7, September 2026
- Pupils
- 751
- 63% of 1,200 places
- Local authority
- Blackpool
- Sixth form
- No
- Admissions
- Non-selective
- Free school meals
- 55.9%
- First language not English
- 10.3%
- School census 2025/26
- Trust
- Star Academies
The official school record (Department for Education)
Admissions
For Year 7 in September 2026, 121 families put the school first and 185 places were offered; 100% of those families were offered a place there. Admission depends on the school’s own rules.
First choices against places
| Year 7 | Places | First choices | Per place | % offered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2026Sept 2026 | 185 | 121 | 0.7 | 100% |
| September 2025Sept 2025 | 206 | 137 | 0.7 | 100% |
| September 2024Sept 2024 | 166 | 131 | 0.8 | 100% |
| September 2023Sept 2023 | 174 | 113 | 0.6 | 100% |
| September 2022Sept 2022 | 122 | 103 | 0.8 | 100% |
Results
In 2024/25 the average Attainment 8 score at GCSE was 30, and 19.6% of pupils got grade 5 or above in English and maths. Across Blackpool it was 37, and across England 46.
GCSE results
Attainment 8
| 2024/25 | Trend | School | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| ▼30 | 46 | ||
| ▼19.6% | 45.4% | ||
| ▼42.1% | 64.8% | ||
| ▼25.2% | 40.5% | ||
| ▼2.67 | 4.09 |
Where Year 11 leavers went
| Left in 2023/24 | Since 2021/22 | |
|---|---|---|
| Sixth form college | 26.9 | −0.5 |
| Further education | 47.3 | −1.5 |
| Apprenticeship | 3.2 | +2 |
| Employment | 4.3 | −4.2 |
| Not in a lasting destination | 15.1 | +5.3 |
| Activity not captured | 3.2 | +0.2 |
Ofsted
Highfield Leadership Academy was judged Requires improvement at its last graded inspection, on 12 March 2024, under Ofsted’s 2019 framework.
- Overall
- Requires improvement
- Inspected
- 12 Mar 2024
- Graded inspection
Safeguarding effectiveInspection reports
Graded areas
| Quality of education | Requires improvement |
|---|---|
| Behaviour and attitudes | Requires improvement |
| Personal development | Good |
| Leadership and management | Requires improvement |
Previously: Requires improvement, graded inspection, Jul 2021
Other inspections
Including inspections of the predecessor school (URN 119732), which Ofsted links to this one.
September 2019 to November 2025
- Oct 2025Monitoring visitEffective action
Jul 2021Requires improvement
Quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Safeguarding Effective - Mar 2021Monitoring visitEffective action
- Feb 2020Monitoring visitEffective action
Before September 2019
- Jun 2019Monitoring visitEffective action
Dec 2018Inadequate
Outcomes for pupils Inadequate Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate Personal development, behaviour and welfare Inadequate Leadership and management Inadequate Safeguarding Not effective Oct 2014Inadequate
Outcomes for pupils Inadequate Leadership and management Inadequate Inspection of the predecessor school (URN 119732)
What parents said
75% of the parents who answered Ofsted’s Parent View survey would recommend the school (16 replies, to 1 September 2025).
- Recommend
- 75%
- Replies
- 16
- 2% · 1 Sept 2025
based on the 75% who raised concerns
based on the 50% who had a child bullied