Ofsted: Good trending_up Places Available emoji_events #36 in Nottinghamshire public Top 37% UK

Retford Oaks Academy

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMrs Heather Widdup

corporate_fareDIVERSE ACADEMIES TRUST

location_onRetford, DN22 7NJ

language Visit Website phone 1777861618

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2017

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Students

1,138

trending_up

Attainment 8

40.1

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GCSE Rank

#35 in Nottinghamshire

#2,525 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

Retford Oaks Academy is a Academy sponsor led secondary school in Retford, serving ages 11-18. Rated Good by Ofsted.

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School Summary

Retford Oaks Academy is an academy sponsor led in Retford, Nottinghamshire, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of DIVERSE ACADEMIES TRUST. The school has approximately 1,118 pupils on roll, of whom 32% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 40.1, placing the school #35 in Nottinghamshire and #2,525 of 3,216 nationally. 28.60% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 8.5% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 16 A-level subjects. 26.1% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 15.3% at A*–A. A-level value added: -0.31 — students made below-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2017. The school's current overall rating is Good.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 0.9× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 14.9:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 2.7 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

analytics

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

40.1

Grade 5+ E&M

28.60%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)8.5%

Entering EBacc11.50%

EBacc APS3.22

2024

Progress 8 Score

-0.52

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

34.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc3.00%

EBacc APS2.7

2023

Progress 8 Score

-0.35

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

40.3

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc14%

EBacc APS3.20

2022

Progress 8 Score

-0.26

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

41.3

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc13%

EBacc APS3.22

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc12%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

-0.16

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

42.8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc11%

EBacc APS3.44

2018

Progress 8 Score

-0.11

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

43.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc26%

EBacc APS3.61

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Student Destinations (After Secondary)

This module shows what students did after finishing Key Stage 4 (GCSEs). It reflects how well the school prepares pupils for the real world.

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

85%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)77%

Apprenticeships5%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)9%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

88%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)83%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)9%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

91%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)72%

Apprenticeships8%

Employment12%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)8%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

94%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)85%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment8%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

93%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)80%

Apprenticeships8%

Employment5%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

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Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

A-level results for students who stayed in sixth form at this school. Value added measures how much progress students made relative to their GCSE starting point.

2025

A-Level Value Added

-0.31

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

C-

Students

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*1.8%

Achieving A*–A15.3%

Achieving A*–B26.1%

VA Banding Below average

Retention rate92.7%

A-level subjects offered16

2024

A-Level Value Added

-0.49

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

D+

Students

Retention rate79.40%

2023

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate100.00%

2022

Avg Grade

D+

Students

Retention rate100.0%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

10 May 2022

Inspection Report

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06 June 2017

Inspection Report

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21 October 2016

Inspection Report

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02 December 2015

Inspection Report

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12 May 2015

Inspection Report

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25 June 2013

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

4 Evaluations

2017-06-06

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 2 Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2016-10-21

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

2015-12-02

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

2015-05-12

None Legacy

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Requires improvement

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

2.8%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

National average: 7.3% for this term (secondary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

2.4%(27 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 1,118 pupils. During this period, there were 31 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 2.8%, which is below the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	1,118	31	2.8%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,118	30	2.7%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,134	35	3.1%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,149	42	3.7%	7.1%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,162	38	3.3%	8.2%	1
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,122	58	5.2%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,138	76	6.7%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,136	94	8.3%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,078	62	5.8%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,070	36	3.4%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,061	26	2.5%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,008	18	1.8%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,021	17	1.7%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,020	30	2.9%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	964	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	964	14	1.5%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	949	26	2.7%	4.2%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	887	0	0.0%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	892	14	1.6%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	902	15	1.7%	3.8%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	864	9	1.0%	3.4%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	864	14	1.6%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	872	13	1.5%	3.7%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	818	12	1.5%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	812	8	1.0%	3.3%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	817	14	1.7%	3.1%	0

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Specific Learning Difficulty 105 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 32 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 24 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 19 pupils

Physical Disability 9 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 3 pupils

Visual Impairment 2 pupils

Hearing Impairment 1 pupils

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Retford Oaks Academy

School Summary

Academic Performance

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Distance to School

School Capacity

Secondary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Secondary Schools in Nottinghamshire

The West Bridgford School

The Becket School

Rushcliffe Spencer Academy

Toot Hill School

The Minster School

Carlton le Willows Academy