Sunnyside Spencer Academy, Nottingham
Sunnyside Spencer Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Nottingham, part of The Spencer Academies Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in July 2017. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in November 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 17th-highest of the 191 schools in Nottingham with published results, and 1,534th of 14,452 across England. It was 86% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2017)
- 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
Sunnyside Spencer Academy in detail
Results
In 2025, 92% of Year 6 pupils at Sunnyside Spencer Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 88% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 76% in Nottinghamshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 82% in reading and 82% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Sunnyside Spencer Academy
For September 2026 entry, 22 families put Sunnyside Spencer Academy as their first choice and 67 named it as one of their preferences, for 22 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 Sunnyside Spencer Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Sunnyside Spencer Academy are Eskdale Junior School (0.3 miles, Outstanding, 82% reading, 84% maths); Alderman Pounder Infant and Nursery School (0.4 miles, Good); Bramcote CofE Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 85% reading, 77% maths); and The Lanes Primary School (0.9 miles).
Sunnyside Spencer Academy's 2025 results were higher than all 2 of them.
Eskdale Junior SchoolAlderman Pounder Infant and Nursery SchoolBramcote CofE Primary SchoolThe Lanes Primary School
The trust
Sunnyside Spencer Academy is one of 27 schools run by The Spencer Academies Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 68% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
21 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Sunnyside Spencer Academy (as of September 2025): 95% would recommend the school, 95% say their child is happy there and 75% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school supports their child's wider development (95%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (75%).
Who goes there
48.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 33.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (56%), Mixed (24%) and Chinese (8%).
In 2026, 14 pupils (6.8%) received SEN support and 11 (5.4%) 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 autism.
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Eskdale Drive, about 570 metres away (roughly a 7-minute walk).
2 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Great Hoggett Drive (opposite), 190 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Sunnyside Spencer Academy stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Sunnyside Spencer Academy issued 6 suspensions, 2.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Sunnyside Spencer Academy are Alderman White School (0.4 miles), George Spencer Academy (0.8 miles), Bramcote College (1 mile) and Chilwell School (1.1 miles).
Alderman White SchoolGeorge Spencer AcademyBramcote CollegeChilwell 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; Ofsted Parent View; 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 · 2 years agoThis judgement is from July 2017, 9 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's November 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Sunnyside Spencer Academy excels at helping all pupils, including those with additional needs, achieve high standards through outstanding teaching and a thoughtfully designed curriculum. The school creates a happy, welcoming environment where the school's SHINE values - including kindness and empathy - are deeply embedded in daily school life. Your child will benefit from exceptional opportunities to develop their talents and interests, whether through technology, outdoor learning, or the school's impressive range of enrichment activities.
Key Strengths
- Exceptional use of technology integrated into learning across all subjects, preparing pupils well for their future
- Strong teaching of reading through systematic phonics approach with excellent support for struggling readers
- Ambitious, well-designed curriculum equally strong in all subjects with focus on 21st Century Skills and global awareness
- Outstanding behaviour and positive attitudes, with high expectations upheld by all pupils
- Excellent pastoral support through the school's 'early help offer' and strong focus on pupils' mental health and well-being
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with leaders creating an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Eco committee, tree planting activities, Sunnyside University days, young leader roles
Sunnyside Spencer Academy is an outstanding primary school where pupils flourish and are happy, demonstrating excellent behaviour and highly positive attitudes to learning. The school has been rated Outstanding across all key areas, including the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision.
At a Glance
48.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
21 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 82% to 92% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 82% to 88% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 86% to 80% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
25.6
Avg class size
25.3
Infant (KS1)
26.5
KS2
8
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Sunnyside Spencer Academy
Before and after school care
Sunnyside Spencer Academy is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Nottinghamshire
Term dates
Sunnyside Spencer 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
Tube / Metro / Tram
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Sunnyside Spencer Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Sunnyside Spencer 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
- 1
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 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
Your chances of a place at Sunnyside Spencer Academy
Will you get a place at Sunnyside Spencer Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Sunnyside Spencer Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Sunnyside Spencer Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Sunnyside Spencer Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Nottinghamshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Sunnyside Spencer Academy for 2015 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.
£9.99 once
One school, inc. VAT. Or £19.99 for up to three schools.
Pro £9 a month, every report included, cancel any time
A report for any school, plus everything else in Pro.
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
86%
Available places
180 pupils
210 places
30 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Nottingham
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Nottingham
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(3)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good and may be improving; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
14
SEN Support
11
EHC Plans
12.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
205
Total Pupils
115
Boys
90
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
11
Teachers
18.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£45,148
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,301
Per pupil
£1370k
Total funding
£141k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.7%
Overall absence
18.6%
Persistent absence
161
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
Sunnyside Spencer Academy
Questions parents ask about Sunnyside Spencer Academy
What are SATs results like at Sunnyside Spencer Academy?
Of the pupils at Sunnyside Spencer Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 92% reached the expected standard in reading and 88% did so in maths.
What is Sunnyside Spencer Academy's Ofsted rating?
Sunnyside Spencer Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in November 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in July 2017, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Sunnyside Spencer Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Sunnyside Spencer 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 Sunnyside Spencer Academy?
Sunnyside Spencer Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 86% of its 210 places.
How big are the classes at Sunnyside Spencer Academy?
Classes at Sunnyside Spencer Academy average 25.6 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Sunnyside Spencer Academy?
Sunnyside Spencer Academy has around 205 pupils on roll. 48% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Sunnyside Spencer Academy?
6.7% of sessions were missed at Sunnyside Spencer Academy in 2024/25. 18.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Sunnyside Spencer Academy?
Apply through Nottinghamshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Sunnyside Spencer 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 Sunnyside Spencer Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Sunnyside Spencer Academy is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school.
How many road collisions happen near Sunnyside Spencer Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 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 Sunnyside Spencer Academy?
Sunnyside Spencer Academy is at Great Hoggett Drive, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG9 4HQ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)