Samuel Barlow Primary Academy, Mansfield
Data last updated 11 Sept 2026
Location
Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Overall
Ofsted Insights
What This School Does Well
Samuel Barlow Primary Academy excels at making pupils feel safe, happy and cared for. The school provides excellent wellbeing support using specialized techniques, and has a strong early years provision where children settle quickly and make good progress. Leaders prioritize inclusion and work hard to build positive relationships with families.
Key Strengths
- Strong culture of safeguarding with open communication and quick action on concerns
- Excellent personal development and wellbeing support using specialized approaches like LEGO therapy and worry work
- Positive early years provision with children settling quickly and making secure progress
- Effective inclusion support with staff trained to help pupils with a wide range of needs
- Improving attendance through clear leadership and close work with families
Areas for Improvement
- Overall pupil achievement remains too low by the time they leave school
- Teaching quality is variable across the school and not consistently checking pupil understanding
- Too many pupils do not secure important knowledge in spelling, handwriting and grammar
- Phonics teaching is not yet consistent, with some staff not modeling sounds accurately
- Progress from low starting points is variable, particularly for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND
Safeguarding
Safeguarding standards are met with an open and positive culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified and managed.
Extracurricular Activities
Sports clubs, creative arts clubs, residential visits, trips, enrichment activities
Samuel Barlow Primary Academy provides a safe, welcoming environment where pupils feel cared for and included. However, while the school is improving in early reading, overall pupil achievement remains too low with gaps in key areas like spelling, handwriting and grammar.
At a Glance
36.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2025/26KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 41%. Maths has declined from 48% to 38%. Writing has declined from 60% to 44%.
Class Sizes
29.2
Avg class size
24.0
Infant (KS1)
33.5
KS2
9
Total classes
5 classes with more than 30 pupils
2024/25 academic year
Getting There
Bus Stops
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
74%
Available places
261 pupils
354 capacity
93 spare places available
Area Demand Pressure - Mansfield
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Mansfield
Admissions Demand - Nottinghamshire
Places available
10,563
Applications
7,998
Got 1st preference
95.8%
Got preferred school
99.4%
Primary admissions across Nottinghamshire (2025/26)
Inspection History(103)
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.
Teachers & Staff
Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.
School Funding
Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.22907%
Overall absence
15.2381%
Persistent absence
210
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
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Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Samuel Barlow Primary Academy
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