APTCOO - A Place to Call Our Own, Newark
Data last updated 12 Sept 2026
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoOverall
Ofsted Insights
What This School Does Well
This is a transformative school for pupils with SEND, offering a safe, nurturing environment where every child is highly valued. Staff go above and beyond to support pupils to achieve their potential, with particularly impressive results for anxious pupils who now attend well thanks to tailored pastoral support. The school excels at developing the whole child through a rich curriculum combining academic subjects with outdoor learning, life skills, and excellent preparation for adulthood.
Key Strengths
- Safe, caring environment with strong staff-pupil relationships where pupils feel valued and proud of their school
- Well-structured curriculum with a wide variety of subjects, outdoor learning, and accredited project-based work that builds life skills
- High-quality pastoral care and support for social, emotional and mental health needs, with excellent strategies to help anxious pupils attend school
- Reading made a priority with systematic phonics programme supporting early readers
- Strong parental partnership and significant investment to support families, including transport solutions to remove barriers to attendance
Areas for Improvement
- Teaching methods not consistently applied across the school, meaning pupils sometimes struggle to identify and retain key learning
- Pupil targets lack precision and do not clearly define what pupils need to achieve toward their EHC plan outcomes
- Need to implement agreed pedagogy more securely so lessons consistently build knowledge and skills
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with staff creating an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Outdoor learning and ground development, animal care, project-based accredited work, community-based projects, charitable activities, college visits for career exploration
APTCOO is a safe and caring special school for pupils with SEND where pupils feel happy and well cared for due to strong staff relationships. The school has improved significantly since its last inspection and is rated Good overall.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
0.0
Avg class size
0
Total classes
2024/25 academic year
Getting There
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
63%
Available places
19 pupils
30 capacity
11 spare places available
Area Demand Pressure - Newark
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Newark
Admissions Demand - Nottinghamshire
Places available
9,687
Applications
9,316
Got 1st preference
91.1%
Got preferred school
98.0%
Secondary admissions across Nottinghamshire (2025/26)
House Prices
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SEN Provision
How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.
Pupil Demographics
The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.
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