Hillocks Primary Academy, Sutton-in-Ashfield
Hillocks Primary Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Sutton-in-Ashfield, part of Diverse Academies Trust. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2023. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 11th-highest of the 12 schools in Sutton-in-Ashfield with published results, and 14,057th of 14,452 across England. It was 83% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2023)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Nottinghamshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Hillocks Primary Academy in detail
Results
In 2025, 53% of Year 6 pupils at Hillocks Primary Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 43% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 76% in Nottinghamshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (56% in reading, 44% in maths).
Getting a place at Hillocks Primary Academy
For September 2026 entry, 21 families put Hillocks Primary Academy as their first choice and 55 named it as one of their preferences, for 21 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Hillocks Primary Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Hillocks Primary Academy are Forest Glade Primary School (0.5 miles, 93% reading, 93% maths); Dalestorth Primary and Nursery School (0.5 miles, Good, 55% reading, 59% maths); Croft Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 68% reading, 68% maths); and Priestsic Primary and Nursery School (0.6 miles, Good, 52% reading, 53% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Hillocks Primary Academy.
Forest Glade Primary SchoolDalestorth Primary and Nursery SchoolCroft Primary SchoolPriestsic Primary and Nursery School
The trust
Hillocks 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.
Who goes there
49.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 29.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (61%), Asian (13%) and Black (6%).
In 2026, 85 pupils (31.4%) received SEN support and 7 (2.6%) 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.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Sutton Parkway Rail Station, about 1 mile away in a straight line.
10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Lucknow Drive (opposite), 30 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Hillocks Primary Academy stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 324 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.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Hillocks Primary Academy issued 86 suspensions, 29.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 2 permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Hillocks Primary Academy are Sutton Community Academy (0.8 miles), Quarrydale Academy (1.1 miles) and Ashfield Comprehensive School (1.7 miles).
Sutton Community AcademyQuarrydale AcademyAshfield Comprehensive School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Requires Improvement at its September 2023 inspection.
Rated Good for
Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management.
Areas Ofsted flagged
Quality of education (Requires Improvement), Early years (Requires Improvement).
At a Glance
49.4%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 53% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 43% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 61% to 57% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
26.6
Avg class size
28.3
Infant (KS1)
25.2
KS2
10
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Hillocks Primary Academy
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Hillocks Primary Academy.
- Little Millers Day Nursery and Out of School Club970m away · Ofsted: Good
- The Lime Trees at Croft Primary School980m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Hillocks Primary Academy is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Nottinghamshire's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Hillocks Primary Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Hillocks Primary Academy is in Nottinghamshire; for families living there:
- Nottinghamshire's school travel policy: Under 16 Transport Policy 2026-2027
- How to apply: Apply for under 16 travel assistance
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 21
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 21 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 18 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on a bicycle.
5 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
Your chances of a place at Hillocks Primary Academy
Will you get a place at Hillocks Primary Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Hillocks Primary Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Hillocks Primary Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Hillocks Primary Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Nottinghamshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Hillocks Primary Academy for 2021 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Nottinghamshire got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
83%
Available places
261 pupils
315 places
54 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Sutton-in-Ashfield
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Sutton-in-Ashfield
Across Nottinghamshire council
Places available
10,513
Applications
7,912
Got 1st preference
99.1%
Got preferred school
99.7%
All primary applications across Nottinghamshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
85
SEN Support
7
EHC Plans
33.9%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
271
Total Pupils
139
Boys
132
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
15
Teachers
18.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£46,383
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,148
Per pupil
£1923k
Total funding
£209k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.8%
Overall absence
20.1%
Persistent absence
259
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Hillocks Primary Academy
Questions parents ask about Hillocks Primary Academy
What are SATs results like at Hillocks Primary Academy?
Of the pupils at Hillocks Primary Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 53% reached the expected standard in reading and 43% did so in maths.
What is Hillocks Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?
Hillocks Primary Academy was rated Requires Improvement at its most recent Ofsted inspection in September 2023.
What is the catchment area for Hillocks Primary Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Hillocks Primary Academy is oversubscribed, Nottinghamshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Hillocks Primary Academy?
Hillocks Primary Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 83% of its 315 places.
How big are the classes at Hillocks Primary Academy?
Classes at Hillocks Primary Academy average 26.6 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Hillocks Primary Academy?
Hillocks Primary Academy has around 271 pupils on roll. 49% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Hillocks Primary Academy?
7.8% of sessions were missed at Hillocks Primary Academy in 2024/25. 20.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Hillocks Primary Academy?
Apply through Nottinghamshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Hillocks Primary Academy on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does Hillocks Primary Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 2 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of Hillocks Primary Academy: Little Millers Day Nursery and Out of School Club (970m away, rated Good by Ofsted) and The Lime Trees at Croft Primary School (980m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Hillocks Primary Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 21 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 18 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on a bicycle. 5 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 Hillocks Primary Academy?
Hillocks Primary Academy is at Unwin Road, Sutton-in-Ashfield, NG17 4ND.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)