The Elizabethan Academy, Retford

From the headteacher's welcome: "It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to The Elizabethan Academy, a community where we believe every student has the potential to achieve remarkable success. As Principal, I am proud of our commitment to fostering an environment that nurtures academic excellence, personal growth, and a deep sense of belonging for every student."

In 2026, pupils at The Elizabethan Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 42.9, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.6 in Nottinghamshire and 47 across England.

46% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 47% in Nottinghamshire and 47% in England.

That is up from 41.1 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.46: pupils made below average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 35.6, against 45.9 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 10.3 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 31 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, History and Geography.

For September 2026 entry, 276 families put The Elizabethan Academy as their first choice and 591 named it as one of their preferences, for 236 places offered. That is 1.2 first choices for every place. 42 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The Elizabethan Academy is run by its own single-school academy trust.

Of the 206 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 79% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 42% to a further education college, 9% to an apprenticeship and 2% into work.

Of the 59 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 27% went on to university or other higher education, 3% to apprenticeships and 36% into work. 10% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

4.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 166 pupils (13.5%) received SEN support and 28 (2.3%) 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 social, emotional and mental health needs.

The nearest railway station is Retford Low Level Rail Station, about 1.1 miles away in a straight line.

16 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Cherry Holt (se-bound), 100 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 172 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Nottinghamshire (101), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, The Elizabethan Academy issued 92 suspensions, 7.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to The Elizabethan Academy are Hallcroft Infant and Nursery School (0.3 miles); Carr Hill Primary and Nursery School (0.6 miles); St. Joseph's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy (0.6 miles); and St Swithun's Church of England Primary Academy (0.8 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.