APTCOO - A Place to Call Our Own, Newark
APTCOO - A Place to Call Our Own is a special school for pupils aged 5 to 19 in Newark. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in July 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2025)
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
APTCOO - A Place to Call Our Own in detail
APTCOO - A Place to Call Our Own in its own words
In its own words: "A Place to Call Our Own (APTCOO) is a registered Charity and Independent Special School in Nottinghamshire. We have created unique spaces in the local community for over 35 years and have properties in Retford, Budby and Thoresby set within the beautiful Sherwood Forest."
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Who goes there
Almost every pupil at APTCOO - A Place to Call Our Own has an education, health and care plan (19 of 19 in 2026).
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of APTCOO - A Place to Call Our Own.
2 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is War Memorial (adjacent), 210 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 2 crimes within a mile of the school, most often other theft and violence and sexual offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Nottinghamshire (101).
Sources: DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Safeguarding: effective
Independent school standards
Met all the independent school standards.
- Part 1: quality of educationMet
- Part 2: pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural developmentMet
- Part 3: welfare, health and safetyMet
- Part 4: suitability of staff and proprietorsMet
- Part 5: premises and accommodationMet
- Part 6: information for parentsMet
- Part 7: handling of complaintsMet
- Part 8: leadership and managementMet
Source: Ofsted, non-association independent schools inspections and outcomes (Open Government Licence)
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's July 2025 inspection report.
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
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 1 nearby school
Keep up with APTCOO - A Place to Call Our Own
Getting There
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 3
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 1 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Nottinghamshire is 10 (the median across 370 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
63%
Available places
19 pupils
30 places
11 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Newark
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Newark
Across Nottinghamshire council
Places available
9,842
Applications
9,200
Got 1st preference
92.5%
Got preferred school
98.5%
All secondary applications across Nottinghamshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(5)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
19
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
APTCOO - A Place to Call Our Own is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
No need-level breakdown available
Pupil Demographics
Key Indicators
19
Total Pupils
8
Boys
11
Girls
2026 academic year
Questions parents ask about APTCOO - A Place to Call Our Own
What is APTCOO - A Place to Call Our Own's Ofsted rating?
APTCOO - A Place to Call Our Own was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in July 2025.
Does APTCOO - A Place to Call Our Own meet the independent school standards?
At its most recent standard inspection, in July 2025, APTCOO - A Place to Call Our Own met all the independent school standards.
How many pupils go to APTCOO - A Place to Call Our Own?
APTCOO - A Place to Call Our Own has around 19 pupils on roll.
Does APTCOO - A Place to Call Our Own have specialist SEN provision?
APTCOO - A Place to Call Our Own is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
How do I apply to APTCOO - A Place to Call Our Own?
APTCOO - A Place to Call Our Own is an independent school and runs its own admissions rather than going through the local authority. Contact the school directly for entry requirements, assessment dates, fees and any bursaries.
How many road collisions happen near APTCOO - A Place to Call Our Own?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 1 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Nottinghamshire is 10 (the median across 370 schools, same distance and years).
Where is APTCOO - A Place to Call Our Own?
APTCOO - A Place to Call Our Own is at North Farm House, Worksop Road, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG22 9EX.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)