Bracken Lane Primary Academy, Retford

Ofsted's report card from its 30 June 2026 inspection grades Bracken Lane Primary Academy on 7 areas: 7 strong standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Achievement - Strong standard. "Pupils achieve well across the curriculum."

Attendance and behaviour - Strong standard. "Leaders place a high priority on pupils' attendance."

Curriculum and teaching - Strong standard. "Leaders have refined the curriculum since the previous inspection."

Early years - Strong standard. "Leaders have a clear vision for the early years and use their secure understanding of children's starting points to shape the curriculum."

Inclusion - Strong standard. "Leaders have created an inclusive culture where pupils who face barriers to learning receive timely and carefully tailored support."

Leadership and governance - Strong standard. "Leaders have a clear vision for the school and use their secure understanding of its strengths and priorities to bring about continual improvement."

Personal development and wellbeing - Strong standard. "Leaders have designed a carefully sequenced personal development programme that reflects the needs of the school community."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure continued refinement and improvement to the implementation of their curriculum to sustain and raise further the achievement of all pupils, particularly disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities".

In 2025, 86% of Year 6 pupils at Bracken Lane Primary Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 86% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 76% in Nottinghamshire and 77% and 75% across England.

Results rose from 77% in reading and 83% in maths in 2024.

With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.

For September 2026 entry, 27 families put Bracken Lane Primary Academy as their first choice and 75 named it as one of their preferences, for 27 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state primary schools to Bracken Lane Primary Academy are Thrumpton Primary Academy (0.4 miles, Good, 75% reading, 96% maths); St Swithun's Church of England Primary Academy (0.7 miles, Requires improvement, 50% reading, 25% maths); Ordsall Primary School (0.9 miles, Good, 64% reading, 67% maths); and St. Joseph's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy (1.2 miles, Good, 80% reading, 73% maths).

Bracken Lane Primary Academy's 2025 results were higher than all 4 of them.

Bracken Lane Primary Academy is one of 16 schools run by Diverse Academies Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's primary schools, 51% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.

3.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 30 pupils (12.9%) received SEN support and 1 (0.4%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is a specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia.

The nearest railway station is Retford Low Level Rail Station, about 1010 metres away (roughly a 13-minute walk).

8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Primary School (opposite), 70 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Bracken Lane Primary Academy stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 167 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Nottinghamshire (101), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Bracken Lane Primary Academy issued 6 suspensions, 2.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The secondary schools closest to Bracken Lane Primary Academy are Retford Oaks Academy (1.3 miles) and The Elizabethan Academy (1.6 miles).