School profile

Bracken Lane Primary Academy

Primary · Academy converter · Retford, DN22 7EU

Outstanding

Map showing Bracken Lane Primary Academy

Schools
Numbers on map: pupil ages
Outstanding
Good
Requires improvement
Inadequate
Not rated

National ranking

Key stage 2 2024/25

#4,303 of 15,057

Better than 71% of schools in England

Ranked by pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Bracken Lane Primary Academy Ofsted rating

Ofsted report cardInspected 30 Jun 2026

Area360 rating
Outstanding
Inclusion
Strong standard
Curriculum and teaching
Strong standard
Achievement
Strong standard
Attendance and behaviour
Strong standard
Personal development and wellbeing
Strong standard
Leadership and governance
Strong standard
Early years
Strong standard
Safeguarding
Met

School facts

PhasePrimary
TypeAcademy converter
Ages3 to 11
Pupils233
GenderMixed
Head teacherMrs Helen Cawkill
TrustDIVERSE ACADEMIES TRUST
Local authorityNottinghamshire
Opened01 Sept 2017
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 144526.

Key stage 2 results

2024/25

Year 6 results in national curriculum tests and teacher assessments. The expected standard is the level pupils should reach by the end of primary school.

MeasureThis schoolNottinghamshireEngland
Expected standard in reading, writing and maths72%, better than England, better than Nottinghamshire64%63%
Higher standard in reading, writing and mathsScore of 110 or more in reading and maths, greater depth in writing.14%, better than England, better than Nottinghamshire7%8%
Average reading scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.107, similar to England, better than Nottinghamshire105106
Average maths scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.105, similar to England, similar to Nottinghamshire105105
Average grammar, punctuation and spelling scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.103, worse than England, worse than Nottinghamshire105105
Expected standard in reading86%, better than England, better than Nottinghamshire76%76%
Expected standard in writing79%, better than England, better than Nottinghamshire73%73%
Expected standard in maths86%, better than England, better than Nottinghamshire76%75%
Pupils taking tests29--

Source: DfE, Compare school performance, Compare school performance 2024-2025.

Pupils

2025/26

Pupils at the January school census.

MeasureThis school
Total pupils233
Girls119
Boys114
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.17.2%
First language not English3.4%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.210
Pupils excluding nurseryPupils who take up school places.206
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.1.9%
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.30
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.1
Average class size25.9

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics and School capacity, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Pupils ethnicity

2025/26

Share of pupils in each ethnic group, as recorded at the January school census.

Pupils ethnicity

White British
91%
Other mixed
2.1%
Other Asian
1.7%
Other White
0.9%
White and Black African
0.4%
Pakistani
0.4%
Chinese
0.4%
Other ethnic group
0.4%
Irish
0%
Traveller of Irish heritage
0%

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Teachers and staff

2025/26

Staff numbers are full-time equivalent (FTE). Teacher turnover shows where the school's teachers were by the following year's census.

MeasureThis school
Pupils per teacher24.4
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.13.2
Teachers (FTE)9.31
Teaching assistants (FTE)6.52
Support staff (FTE)13.97
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/259
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/258
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/250
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/251

Source: DfE, School workforce in England, Reporting year 2025, published 04 Jun 2026.

Admissions

2026/27

Applications and offers for the main entry points. Offers from oversubscribed schools depend on each school's admissions criteria; check the local authority admissions page.

MeasureThis school
Offers made (Reception)Places offered on national offer day.27
Applications (Reception)Includes every preference parents listed.75
First preference applications (Reception)Families who put this school as their first choice.27
First preference offers (Reception)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.27
Applications from another local authority (Reception)0

Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers, Academic year 2026/27, published 18 Jun 2026.

Attendance

2025/26

Share of possible sessions missed.

MeasureThis schoolNottinghamshireEngland
Overall absence2.9%, better than England, better than Nottinghamshire4.8%5.1%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.1.7%, better than England, better than Nottinghamshire11.7%13.2%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.0%, better than England, better than Nottinghamshire1%1%

Source: DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England, Autumn and spring term 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

Suspensions and exclusions

2024/25

Suspension rate is the number of suspensions per 100 pupils, so one pupil can be counted more than once. A permanently excluded pupil is removed from the school roll.

MeasureThis school
Suspension rate2.6%
Pupils with one or more suspensions1.3%
Permanent exclusion rate0%
Permanent exclusions0

Source: DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, Academic year 2024/25, published 09 Jul 2026.

Nearby schools

Ratings include official Ofsted judgements and Area360 summaries of inspection grades. Open a school’s profile for its inspection grades and results.

Schools near Bracken Lane Primary Academy
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.4 miPrimaryThrumpton Primary AcademyAcademy converter
Good
0.7 miPrimarySt Swithun's Church of England Primary AcademyAcademy converter
Inadequate
0.9 miPrimaryOrdsall Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
1.2 miPrimarySt. Joseph's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary AcademyAcademy converter
Good
1.3 miSecondaryRetford Oaks AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Good
1.3 miPrimaryCarr Hill Primary and Nursery SchoolCommunity school
Good
1.6 miSecondaryThe Elizabethan AcademyAcademy converter
Good
1.7 miPrimaryHallcroft Infant and Nursery SchoolCommunity school
Good

Frequently asked questions about Bracken Lane Primary Academy

What is Bracken Lane Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

Bracken Lane Primary Academy is rated Outstanding, last inspected on 30 Jun 2026. Recent Ofsted inspections have no single overall grade, so Area360 summarises the inspection grades.

How does Bracken Lane Primary Academy rank in England?

Bracken Lane Primary Academy ranks 4,303 of 15,057 schools in England for Key stage 2 2024/25 (better than 71% of schools).

What are Bracken Lane Primary Academy's SATs results?

In 2024/25, 72% of pupils at Bracken Lane Primary Academy met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (England 63%).

How hard is it to get into Bracken Lane Primary Academy?

For Reception entry in 2026/27, Bracken Lane Primary Academy made 27 offers from 75 applications (2.8 per offer), and 27 of 27 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend Bracken Lane Primary Academy?

Bracken Lane Primary Academy has 233 pupils aged 3 to 11.

What is the capacity of Bracken Lane Primary Academy?

Bracken Lane Primary Academy had 210 school places in 2024/25.

How big are classes at Bracken Lane Primary Academy?

At Bracken Lane Primary Academy, the average class had 25.9 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 24.4 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at Bracken Lane Primary Academy?

In 2025/26, pupils at Bracken Lane Primary Academy missed 2.9% of sessions (England 5.1%), and 1.7% were persistently absent, missing 10% or more of sessions (England 13.2%).

Figures are the latest published by the Department for Education for each measure. Small numbers are suppressed by the publisher to protect pupils' privacy. Read how Area360 school ratings and rankings work.