Armfield Academy
Free schools · 1,221 pupils
83% stayed in education · Attainment 8 35.6
Academy sponsor led
South Shore Academy
- Pupils on roll
- 550of 985 places
- Free school meals
- 67.6%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 134
- Ofsted
- Inadequate, 27 June 2023Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: South Shore Academy (URN 140021, until 1 October 2024).
What the data says
South Shore Academy has no sixth form. Of the 141 pupils who finished Year 11 there in 2023, 9% moved to a sixth form college, 50% to a further education college and 2% started an apprenticeship.
20% of leavers were not in sustained education, employment or training six months on, compared with 6% nationally.
GCSE results in 2025 were well below the national picture: Attainment 8 of 26.3 against 46.1 across England and 37.0 in Blackpool, with 17% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
Art and Design is unusually popular at GCSE: 25% of the year group took it, against 7% of pupils across England.
Where pupils went after Year 11
Destinations of the 2023 Year 11 leavers, measured the following year: the share in a sustained place for at least two terms. Compared with all state-funded schools in Blackpool and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | South Shore Academy | Blackpool | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 141 | 1,331 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 67% | 84% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 60% | 77% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 0% | 6% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 9% | 24% | 13% |
| — further education college | 50% | 44% | 37% |
| — other education | 1% | 3% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 2% | 3% | 3% |
| Employment | 5% | 5% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 20% | 11% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 13% | 5% | 3% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | South Shore Academy | Blackpool | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 26.3 | 37.0 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 17% | 30% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 33% | 51% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 2% | 18% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 2.04 | 3.16 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 58% | 48% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 21.4 | 29.7 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 33.0 | 43.9 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 14% | 11% | 19% |
Progress 8 is not available for 2025 and 2026: these cohorts had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020 and 2021, so there is no baseline. Attainment 8 shows results without taking pupils’ starting points into account.
Subjects taken at GCSE
Entries in 2025 as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England | Grades 7–9 | England | Grades 4–9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 129 | 96% | 89% | 5% | 20% | 40% |
| Mathematics | 128 | 96% | 88% | 3% | 22% | 38% |
| English Literature | 125 | 93% | 86% | 6% | 21% | 41% |
| Combined Science | 102 | 76% | 65% | 2% | 9% | 26% |
| Geography | 36 | 27% | 41% | 0% | 25% | 28% |
| History | 34 | 25% | 41% | 15% | 26% | 38% |
| Art and Design | 33 | 25% | 7% | 0% | 24% | 52% |
| Biology | 14 | 10% | 23% | 14% | 45% | 64% |
| Computer Science | 14 | 10% | 13% | 0% | 30% | 29% |
| Chemistry | 12 | 9% | 23% | 8% | 47% | 67% |
| Physics | 12 | 9% | 23% | 17% | 46% | 42% |
| Spanish | 10 | 7% | 19% | 0% | 27% | 60% |
| Textiles | 9 | 7% | 2% | 22% | 27% | 56% |
| Religious Studies | 1 | 1% | 31% | — | 32% | — |
| Photography | 1 | 1% | 6% | — | 19% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sports Studies | 65 | — | — |
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 17 | — | — |
| Childcare Skills | 12 | — | — |
| Small Business Management | 12 | — | — |
| Dance: General | 11 | — | — |
| Music performance: Group | 10 | — | — |
| Tourism | 10 | — | — |
| Health Studies | 7 | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Blackpool
Blackpool Aspire Academy
Academy sponsor led · 799 pupils
76% stayed in education · Attainment 8 36.7
Highfield Leadership Academy
Academy sponsor led · 751 pupils
72% stayed in education · Attainment 8 30.0
Montgomery Academy
Academy converter · 1,192 pupils
76% stayed in education · Attainment 8 40.0
St George's School A Church of England Academy
Academy converter · 1,038 pupils
82% stayed in education · Attainment 8 55.5
St Mary's Catholic Academy
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,188 pupils
82% stayed in education · Attainment 8 41.5
Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.