The Gainsborough Hillcrest Early Years Academy, Gainsborough
The Gainsborough Hillcrest Early Years Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 0 to 7 in Gainsborough, part of Hillcrest Early Years Academy Limited. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in October 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in April 2025 did not change this grade. It was 79% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2014)
- 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 Lincolnshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
The Gainsborough Hillcrest Early Years Academy in detail
The Gainsborough Hillcrest Early Years Academy in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "On behalf of the Trustees, staff and myself, I would like to take this opportunity to extend a warm welcome to our Hillcrest Early Years Academy family."
Headteacher's welcome (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at The Gainsborough Hillcrest Early Years Academy
For September 2026 entry, 38 families put The Gainsborough Hillcrest Early Years Academy as their first choice and 70 named it as one of their preferences, for 38 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 The Gainsborough Hillcrest Early Years Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to The Gainsborough Hillcrest Early Years Academy are White's Wood Academy (under 0.1 miles, Good, 44% reading, 44% maths); The Gainsborough Charles Baines Community Primary School (0.1 miles, Good, 67% reading, 60% maths); St George's Church of England Community Primary School, Gainsborough (0.6 miles, Good, 47% reading, 67% maths); and Benjamin Adlard Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 63% reading, 59% maths).
White's Wood AcademyThe Gainsborough Charles Baines Community Primary SchoolSt George's Church of England Community Primary School, GainsboroughBenjamin Adlard Primary School
The trust
The Gainsborough Hillcrest Early Years Academy is run by its own single-school academy trust.
What parents say
17 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about The Gainsborough Hillcrest Early Years Academy (as of September 2025): 100% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 100% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (100%); the weakest, that their child is happy at the school (100%).
Who goes there
6.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 19 pupils (8.2%) received SEN support and 10 (4.3%) 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 speech, language and communication needs.
Staffing
The Gainsborough Hillcrest Early Years Academy had 9 teachers in 2026, one for every 16 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Gainsborough Central Rail Station, about 680 metres away (roughly a 8-minute walk).
16 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is White's Wood Lane School (outside), 180 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood The Gainsborough Hillcrest Early Years Academy stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 269 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Lincolnshire (33), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, The Gainsborough Hillcrest Early Years Academy issued 4 suspensions, 1.8 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to The Gainsborough Hillcrest Early Years Academy are The Gainsborough Academy (0.8 miles); and The Queen Elizabeth's High School, Gainsborough (1.2 miles).
The Gainsborough AcademyThe Queen Elizabeth's High School, Gainsborough
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; 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 October 2014, 12 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 April 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This is a caring school where staff treat pupils with genuine kindness and know families well. Children are captivated by story times and receive expert phonics teaching that sets them up as confident readers. The school excels at supporting all learners, including those with special needs, helping them participate fully and achieve well.
Key Strengths
- Excellent phonics teaching and reading instruction - children become confident, fluent readers early on
- Strong support for children with SEND, who are identified quickly and achieve well
- High expectations for behaviour that pupils meet, with a positive, respectful school culture
- Passionate approach to personal development with effective teaching about respect and different cultures
- Well-planned curriculum that builds knowledge and skills from early years through Year 2
Areas for Improvement
- Some learning activities don't focus sufficiently on what pupils need to know and remember, affecting achievement in certain subjects
- Pupils' understanding of all British values needs strengthening - they understand respect well but not other values as deeply
- Persistent absence among some groups of pupils means they miss important learning and fall behind
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with leaders creating an open, positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Leadership roles for pupils including Tiny Trustees and Reading Ambassadors, before and after-school club
The Gainsborough Hillcrest Early Years Academy is a lively and welcoming school where pupils flourish and achieve well. The school has been rated Good across all key areas, down from its previous Outstanding grade.
At a Glance
33.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
17 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
24.2
Avg class size
24.2
Infant (KS1)
6
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with The Gainsborough Hillcrest Early Years Academy
Before and after school care
The Gainsborough Hillcrest Early Years 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 Lincolnshire
Term dates
The Gainsborough Hillcrest Early Years Academy is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Lincolnshire's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to The Gainsborough Hillcrest Early Years Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. The Gainsborough Hillcrest Early Years Academy is in Lincolnshire; for families living there:
Apply to Lincolnshire for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 11
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 2 serious and 8 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 2 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 Lincolnshire is 6 (the median across 401 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 The Gainsborough Hillcrest Early Years Academy
Will you get a place at The Gainsborough Hillcrest Early Years Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against The Gainsborough Hillcrest Early Years Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for The Gainsborough Hillcrest Early Years Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to The Gainsborough Hillcrest Early Years Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Lincolnshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at The Gainsborough Hillcrest Early Years Academy for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Lincolnshire 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
79%
Available places
143 pupils
180 places
37 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Gainsborough
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Gainsborough
Across Lincolnshire council
Places available
8,940
Applications
6,453
Got 1st preference
96.3%
Got preferred school
99.7%
All primary applications across Lincolnshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
19
SEN Support
10
EHC Plans
12.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
231
Total Pupils
129
Boys
102
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
9
Teachers
25.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,239
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,512
Per pupil
£1121k
Total funding
£115k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.0%
Overall absence
22.9%
Persistent absence
118
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
The Gainsborough Hillcrest Early Years Academy
Questions parents ask about The Gainsborough Hillcrest Early Years Academy
What is The Gainsborough Hillcrest Early Years Academy's Ofsted rating?
The Gainsborough Hillcrest Early Years Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in April 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in October 2014, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for The Gainsborough Hillcrest Early Years Academy?
No fixed boundary. When The Gainsborough Hillcrest Early Years Academy is oversubscribed, Lincolnshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at The Gainsborough Hillcrest Early Years Academy?
The Gainsborough Hillcrest Early Years Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 79% of its 180 places.
How big are the classes at The Gainsborough Hillcrest Early Years Academy?
Classes at The Gainsborough Hillcrest Early Years Academy average 24.2 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to The Gainsborough Hillcrest Early Years Academy?
The Gainsborough Hillcrest Early Years Academy has around 231 pupils on roll. 33% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at The Gainsborough Hillcrest Early Years Academy?
7% of sessions were missed at The Gainsborough Hillcrest Early Years Academy in 2024/25. 22.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to The Gainsborough Hillcrest Early Years Academy?
Apply through Lincolnshire's coordinated admissions process, naming The Gainsborough Hillcrest Early Years 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 The Gainsborough Hillcrest Early Years Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
The Gainsborough Hillcrest Early Years 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 The Gainsborough Hillcrest Early Years Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 2 serious and 8 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 2 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 Lincolnshire is 6 (the median across 401 schools, same distance and years).
Where is The Gainsborough Hillcrest Early Years Academy?
The Gainsborough Hillcrest Early Years Academy is at Heapham Road, Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, DN21 1SW.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)