Ofsted: Good trending_up High Demand emoji_events #3 in Nottingham public Top 10% UK

Nottingham Free School

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

personDr Jo Simpson

corporate_fareNOVA EDUCATION TRUST

location_onNottingham, NG5 1EB

language Visit Website phone 1158964949

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2017

groups

Students

659

trending_up

Attainment 8

51.5

leaderboard

GCSE Rank

#3 in Nottingham

#770 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

Nottingham Free School is a Free schools secondary school in Nottingham, serving ages 11-18. Rated Good by Ofsted. Highly competitive: 1.5× more applications than places — plan well ahead.

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School Summary

Nottingham Free School is a free schools in Nottingham, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of NOVA EDUCATION TRUST. The school has approximately 673 pupils on roll, of whom 28% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 51.5, placing the school #3 in Nottingham and #770 of 3,216 nationally. 54.60% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 25.1% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 20 A-level subjects. 38.5% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 19.8% at A*–A. A-level value added: -0.14 — students made below-average progress at sixth form.

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

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.5× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 18.0:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there was 1 permanent exclusion. The average suspension rate was 3.4 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

51.5

Grade 5+ E&M

54.60%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)25.1%

Entering EBacc64.70%

EBacc APS4.84

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.29

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

52.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc54.10%

EBacc APS4.9

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.09

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

50.5

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc45%

EBacc APS4.63

2022

Progress 8 Score

0.08

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

54.3

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc55%

EBacc APS4.99

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc52%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

0.38

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

53.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc58%

EBacc APS4.96

2018

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc-%

EBacc APS-

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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

92%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)92%

Apprenticeships0%

Employment0%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)95%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment0%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

92%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)87%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

92%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)92%

Apprenticeships0%

Employment0%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)8%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

91%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)89%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)9%

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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

-0.14

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Students

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*4.4%

Achieving A*–A19.8%

Achieving A*–B38.5%

VA Banding Average

Retention rate77.5%

A-level subjects offered20

2024

A-Level Value Added

+0.17

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make above-average progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

B-

Students

Retention rate100.00%

2023

Avg Grade

C+

Students

Retention rate77.80%

2022

Avg Grade

B-

Students

Retention rate91.9%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

08 November 2022

Inspection Report

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20 June 2017

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

1 Evaluations

2017-06-20

S5 Inspection Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

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

3.1%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

2.2%(15 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 673 pupils. During this period, there were 21 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 3.1%, 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)	673	21	3.1%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	669	24	3.6%	7.8%	1
2023/24 (Summer term)	678	48	7.1%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	676	25	3.7%	7.1%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	680	27	4.0%	8.2%	2
2022/23 (Summer term)	659	29	4.4%	6.6%	1
2022/23 (Spring term)	659	46	7.0%	6.4%	1
2022/23 (Autumn term)	660	56	8.5%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	620	32	5.2%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	624	48	7.7%	4.9%	1
2021/22 (Autumn term)	620	55	8.9%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	611	61	10.0%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	612	10	1.6%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	612	58	9.5%	3.9%	2
2019/20 (Summer term)	545	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	545	19	3.5%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	547	25	4.6%	4.2%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	476	12	2.5%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	477	16	3.4%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	481	17	3.5%	3.8%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	369	0	0.0%	3.4%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	369	0	0.0%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	370	0	0.0%	3.7%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	272	0	0.0%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	273	0	0.0%	3.3%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	272	0	0.0%	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.

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 22 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 15 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 11 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 9 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 9 pupils

Physical Disability 4 pupils

Visual Impairment 2 pupils

Severe Learning Difficulty 1 pupils

Hearing Impairment 1 pupils

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Parent View on Pastoral Care

Results from the official Ofsted Parent View survey, reflecting direct parent sentiment regarding the school environment.

My child is happy at this school.

90.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

95.0%Positive

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

15.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree30%

agree53%

disagree12%

strongly disagree1%

don't know4%

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

strongly agree11%

agree51%

disagree19%

strongly disagree12%

don't know7%

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

strongly agree36%

agree28%

disagree8%

strongly disagree8%

don't know2%

not applicable17%

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

yes22%

no78%

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

strongly agree17%

agree22%

disagree11%

strongly disagree28%

dont know22%

The school has high expectations for my child.

strongly agree52%

agree30%

disagree10%

strongly disagree4%

don't know5%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree39%

agree51%

disagree4%

strongly disagree4%

don't know4%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree24%

agree60%

disagree6%

strongly disagree7%

don't know2%

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

strongly agree25%

agree55%

disagree16%

strongly disagree2%

don't know1%

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

strongly agree28%

agree60%

disagree6%

strongly disagree6%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree37%

agree41%

disagree10%

strongly disagree6%

don't know6%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes84%

no16%

Top Secondary Schools in Nottingham

Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

View all arrow_forward

The Trinity Catholic School A Voluntary Academy

Good

location_on Nottingham, NG8 3EZ

emoji_events #1 in LA

Fernwood School

Outstanding

location_on Nottingham, NG8 2FT

emoji_events #2 in LA

Nottingham University Academy of Science and Technology

Good

location_on Nottingham, NG7 2PL

emoji_events #4 in LA

Bluecoat Wollaton Academy

Outstanding

location_on Nottingham, NG8 1EA

emoji_events #5 in LA

Bluecoat Aspley Academy

Good

location_on Nottingham, NG8 5GY

emoji_events #6 in LA

Nottingham Girls' Academy

Outstanding

location_on Nottingham, NG8 3LD

emoji_events #7 in LA

View all schools in Nottingham arrow_forward

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)

Parent View on Pastoral Care

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

My child does well at this school.

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

I would recommend this school to another parent.

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Secondary Schools in Nottingham

The Trinity Catholic School A Voluntary Academy

Fernwood School

Nottingham University Academy of Science and Technology

Bluecoat Wollaton Academy

Bluecoat Aspley Academy

Nottingham Girls' Academy