Bluecoat Primary Academy

About Bluecoat Primary Academy

Bluecoat Primary Academy sits within the Nottingham local authority, a Church of England state primary for mixed-gender pupils aged 3 to 11. In the most recent local rankings of 74 primary schools, it placed 45th, placing it in the bottom half of the authority. The top-performing nearby schools include St Teresa's Catholic Primary School, Edna G. Olds Academy, and South Wilford Endowed CofE Primary School, all of which score higher on the same ranking metric. St Teresa's, the nearest Outstanding-rated school, is just 0.4 km away. Bluecoat itself was rated Good in its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2022, with standout grades of Outstanding for behaviour and attitudes, leadership and management, and early years provision. The school serves a notably diverse intake: 42 per cent of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the national average, and the school is oversubscribed, receiving 114 applications for 44 places in the 2025/26 admissions round.

Academically, Bluecoat's Key Stage 2 results for 2023/24 show a mixed picture. The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths combined was 57 per cent, just below the Nottingham local authority average of 60 per cent. In individual subjects, 74 per cent met the expected standard in reading, 70 per cent in maths, and 70 per cent in writing. At the higher standard, the school saw 21 per cent in reading, 25 per cent in maths, and just 5 per cent in writing, with only 2 per cent achieving the higher benchmark across all three subjects. Average scaled scores were 104 in both reading and maths, in line with the national average of 100. The school's national ranking places it in the bottom 50 per cent of primary schools, at the 64th percentile. Progress scores are not available in the data, so it is unclear how much value the school adds relative to pupils' starting points.

The school offers a nursery provision for children from age three, and its facilities include an art studio, library, ICT suite, chapel, outdoor playground, dining hall, and playing fields. Sports on offer include gymnastics, cricket, cross country, dance, and football, while clubs include gardening, eco club, and film club. SEND provisions are broad, covering specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder, alongside a resourced provision. With an oversubscription ratio of 2.59 and all 44 first-preference applicants receiving offers, the school is clearly popular among local families. Bluecoat will suit parents seeking a Church of England primary with strong early years and behaviour ratings, a diverse pupil body, and a wide range of SEND support, though those prioritising top-tier academic outcomes may want to look at higher-ranked peers in the area.

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