Ofsted: Good trending_up Places Available emoji_events #24 in Nottinghamshire public Top 22% UK

The Sir Donald Bailey Academy

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

personMrs Joanne Knapp

corporate_fareTHE FORGE TRUST

location_onNewark, NG24 4EP

language Visit Website phone 1636680142

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2018

groups

Students

547

school

Expected Standard

75%

local_fire_department

Demand Ratio

0.9x

summarize

The Sir Donald Bailey Academy is a Academy converter primary school in Newark, serving ages 2-11. Rated Good by Ofsted. Ranks in the top 22% of primary schools nationally.

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School Summary

The Sir Donald Bailey Academy is an academy converter in Newark, Nottinghamshire, admitting pupils aged 2-11. It is part of THE FORGE TRUST. The school has approximately 523 pupils on roll, of whom 58% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, 75% of pupils met the expected standard in Reading, Writing and Maths combined. The school ranks #24 of 226 primaries in Nottinghamshire and #1,427 of 14,143 nationally.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2018. 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 20.5:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 1.0 per 1,000 pupils per term.

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

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

school

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

2025

R/W/M Expected Standard

75%

LA 62%

Reading76% LA 74%

Writing76% LA 71%

Maths80% LA 74%

Read SS

105

Maths SS

105

GPS SS

108

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2024

R/W/M Expected Standard

76%

LA 59%England 61%

Reading77% LA 72% · Eng 74%

Writing82% LA 70% · Eng 72%

Maths84% LA 71% · Eng 73%

Read SS

104

Maths SS

104

GPS SS

107

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2023

R/W/M Expected Standard

71%

LA 59%England 60%

Reading72% LA 71% · Eng 73%

Writing76% LA 71% · Eng 71%

Maths81% LA 72% · Eng 73%

Read SS

104

Maths SS

103

GPS SS

103

Progress (0 = national avg)

4.1

Read

LA -0.2

2.5 to 5.6

4.5

Write

LA 0.2

3.1 to 5.9

3.1

Maths

LA 0.0

1.6 to 4.5

2019

R/W/M Expected Standard

79%

LA 64%England 65%

Reading81% LA 72% · Eng 73%

Writing83% LA 78% · Eng 78%

Maths86% LA 77% · Eng 79%

Read SS

105

Maths SS

107

GPS SS

110

Progress (0 = national avg)

3.6

Read

LA -0.2

2.0 to 5.3

3.1

Write

LA 0.3

1.6 to 4.7

4.2

Maths

LA -0.1

2.7 to 5.6

2018

R/W/M Expected Standard

61%

LA 63%

Reading68% LA 74%

Writing83% LA 78%

Maths83% LA 75%

Read SS

103

Maths SS

104

GPS SS

109

Progress (0 = national avg)

0.9

Read

LA -0.3

-0.5 to 2.3

2.8

Write

LA 0.2

1.5 to 4.1

2.3

Maths

LA -0.1

1 to 3.6

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

20 June 2023

Inspection Report

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08 October 2020

Inspection Report

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07 February 2018

Inspection Report

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04 March 2015

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2018-02-07

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

2014-09-30

S5 Inspection Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

2009-11-17

None EIF

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

gavel

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

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

Suspension Rate

0.8%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

National average: 0.8% for this term (primary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

0.6%(3 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: 1.225% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 523 pupils. During this period, there were 4 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 0.8%, which is below the termly national average of 0.8%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg
2024/25 (Spring term)	523	4	0.8%	0.8%
2024/25 (Autumn term)	515	6	1.2%	0.9%
2023/24 (Summer term)	553	4	0.7%	0.8%
2023/24 (Spring term)	529	3	0.6%	0.7%
2023/24 (Autumn term)	511	1	0.2%	0.8%
2022/23 (Summer term)	559	1	0.2%	0.7%
2022/23 (Spring term)	547	3	0.5%	0.6%
2022/23 (Autumn term)	535	0	0.0%	0.6%
2021/22 (Summer term)	571	0	0.0%	0.5%
2021/22 (Spring term)	553	8	1.4%	0.5%
2021/22 (Autumn term)	545	11	2.0%	0.5%
2020/21 (Summer term)	576	8	1.4%	0.4%
2020/21 (Spring term)	555	1	0.2%	0.1%
2020/21 (Autumn term)	543	1	0.2%	0.4%
2019/20 (Summer term)	552	0	0.0%	0.0%
2019/20 (Spring term)	552	2	0.4%	0.4%
2019/20 (Autumn term)	535	3	0.6%	0.6%
2018/19 (Summer term)	556	4	0.7%	0.4%
2018/19 (Spring term)	528	4	0.8%	0.5%
2018/19 (Autumn term)	500	0	0.0%	0.5%
2017/18 (Summer term)	507	2	0.4%	0.5%
2017/18 (Spring term)	496	5	1.0%	0.4%
2017/18 (Autumn term)	489	0	0.0%	0.5%
2016/17 (Summer term)	492	0	0.0%	0.4%
2016/17 (Spring term)	479	0	0.0%	0.4%
2016/17 (Autumn term)	484	1	0.2%	0.5%

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

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psychology_alt

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.

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 22 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 19 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 16 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 5 pupils

Hearing Impairment 4 pupils

Physical Disability 3 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 2 pupils

Visual Impairment 2 pupils

health_and_safety

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.

97.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

91.0%Positive

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

22.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree59%

agree22%

disagree9%

strongly disagree3%

don't know6%

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

strongly agree50%

agree31%

disagree16%

strongly disagree3%

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

strongly agree56%

agree9%

disagree9%

strongly disagree6%

not applicable19%

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.

strongly agree59%

agree28%

disagree3%

don't know9%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree66%

agree25%

disagree9%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree59%

agree28%

disagree9%

strongly disagree3%

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

strongly agree53%

agree41%

don't know6%

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

strongly agree66%

agree31%

disagree3%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree47%

agree38%

disagree9%

strongly disagree6%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes81%

no19%

Top Primary Schools in Nottinghamshire

Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

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Outstanding

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Ernehale Junior School

Good

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Chetwynd Spencer Academy

Outstanding

location_on Nottingham, NG9 6FW

emoji_events #4 in LA

Sunnyside Spencer Academy

Good

location_on Nottingham, NG9 4HQ

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Good

location_on Retford, DN22 8LH

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View all schools in Nottinghamshire arrow_forward

School Summary

Academic Performance

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Distance to School

School Capacity

Primary 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 Primary Schools in Nottinghamshire

Mapplewells Primary and Nursery School

Archbishop Cranmer Church of England Academy

Ernehale Junior School

Chetwynd Spencer Academy

Sunnyside Spencer Academy

Ranskill Primary School