Abbey Hill Primary & Nursery

About Abbey Hill Primary & Nursery

Abbey Hill Primary & Nursery is a state-funded, mixed primary school in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, that serves children from age 2 to 11. With 226 pupils on roll against a capacity of 322, the school is operating well below its physical limit, yet demand for places tells a more complicated story. For the 2025/26 intake, the school received 34 applications for just 15 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.27. Of those 34 applicants, 13 were first-preference choices, and 13 first-preference offers were made — meaning every family who put Abbey Hill first got a place. The school’s free school meal rate stands at 75%, which is exceptionally high and signals a catchment with significant economic disadvantage. This context matters because it shapes both the challenges the school faces and the support it provides. Headteacher Adam Jevons-Newman leads a team that has clearly earned strong local trust, given that first-preference families are all accommodated despite overall oversubscription.

Academically, Abbey Hill has made a clear improvement in recent years. In its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2023, the school was rated Good overall, with Good marks for quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. This is a notable step up from its previous inspection in 2019, when the school was rated Requires Improvement overall, with leadership and management also Requires Improvement. The early years provision, which was previously Requires Improvement, is now Good. While the school does not publish Key Stage 2 SATs results in the available data, the local authority average for KS2 attainment is 61, which provides a benchmark. Given the high proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals, Abbey Hill’s Good rating represents a solid outcome in context. The school does not have a sixth form, and its nursery provision means children can start as early as age 2, giving families a single-site option from nursery through to Year 6.

The school offers a broad range of facilities including a forest school, music rooms, art studios, a gymnasium, sports hall, and an ICT suite. Sports provision covers tennis, football, netball, gymnastics, and cricket, while clubs include science, chess, eco, choir, gardening, and drama. For families with children who have additional needs, Abbey Hill lists provisions for moderate learning difficulty, profound and multiple learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, visual impairment, physical disability, autistic spectrum disorder, and other difficulty or disability. This is a comprehensive SEND offer for a primary of this size. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is Mapplewells Primary and Nursery School, 3.9 km away. Abbey Hill suits families in Ashfield who want a local, inclusive primary with strong early years provision and a clear recent trajectory of improvement, particularly those whose children may benefit from the school’s extensive SEND support.

Key Details

Frequently Asked Questions About Abbey Hill Primary & Nursery

Helpful Guides for Parents