St Swithun's Church of England Primary Academy, Retford
Data last updated 11 Sept 2026
Location
Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 8 months agoReport card - no overall grade (new Ofsted framework from Sep 2024)
Ofsted Insights
What This School Does Well
St Swithun's provides a safe, nurturing environment where staff build warm relationships with pupils and families. The school offers a broad curriculum and a wide range of enrichment activities including sports clubs, creative activities and residential trips. Leaders are committed to improvement and are actively working to strengthen teaching in key areas like early reading and mathematics.
Key Strengths
- Safeguarding is effective with an open culture where concerns are actively identified and managed
- Staff build warm and caring relationships with pupils and families
- Leaders are taking steps to improve teaching in early reading and mathematics
- The school offers a broad curriculum designed to build on early years foundations
- Pupils enjoy a wide range of enrichment opportunities including sports, creative activities and trips
Areas for Improvement
- Pupil achievement is weak - outcomes in reading, writing and maths have fallen and are significantly below national averages
- Behaviour expectations are not applied consistently across the school, causing some pupils to lose focus
- Support for pupils with special educational needs is variable and not consistently tailored
- Early years expectations are too low, with too few chances for children to write
- Pupils do not retain enough knowledge from personal, social and health education lessons
Safeguarding
Safeguarding standards are met - the school has established an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed.
Extracurricular Activities
Sports clubs, creative activities, environmental groups, residential trips, school council, eco team
St Swithun's Church of England Primary Academy requires significant improvement across most areas. While safeguarding standards are met and the school has warm relationships, pupil achievement is weak with outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics significantly below national figures.
At a Glance
48.8%
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 declined from 55% to 50%. Maths has declined from 55% to 25%. Writing has declined from 36% to 25%.
Class Sizes
15.0
Avg class size
10.0
Infant (KS1)
6
Total classes
2024/25 academic year
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Commute Calculator
Find out if this school is reachable from your home - before you apply
What are my chances?
Enter your postcode to estimate your probability of getting a place.
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
44%
Available places
92 pupils
210 capacity
118 spare places available
Area Demand Pressure - Retford
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Retford
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(4)
House Prices
Moving into the catchment? See what homes near this school actually cost
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
7.58121%
Overall absence
24.39024%
Persistent absence
82
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Reviews
No reviews yet - be the first to leave one.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
St Swithun's Church of England Primary Academy
Nearby Schools
Do you work at this school?
Claim your profile free to get a verified badge, update your contact details, and see how many parents are viewing your page.