Clarborough Primary School

About Clarborough Primary School

Clarborough Primary School is a state-funded mixed primary in Bassetlaw, Nottinghamshire, and it is noticeably oversubscribed. For the 2025/26 intake, the school received 59 applications for just 27 places, with all 27 first-preference applicants securing a spot. That works out at 2.19 applications per place, a strong signal of local demand. The school currently has 215 pupils on roll, which is 16 above its official capacity of 199, so it is running full. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals sits at 13.1%, which is below the national primary average of around 23%, suggesting a relatively less deprived intake than many schools nationally. The school has a nursery provision for children from age three, and the headteacher is Allison Cowell-Clark. There is no religious character attached to the school.

Academically, Clarborough’s most recent Key Stage 2 results from 2023/24 paint a mixed picture. The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined was 47%, which is notably below the local authority average of 61% for similar schools. In individual subjects, 59% met the expected standard in reading, 65% in writing, and 59% in maths. The average scaled scores for reading and maths were both 101, exactly the national baseline. At the higher standard, 12% of pupils achieved in both reading and writing, but no pupils reached that level in maths. The school’s ranking within Bassetlaw places it 31st out of 44 primary schools, putting it in the bottom half locally and the bottom 50 nationally on the combined expected standard metric. Its most recent Ofsted inspection, an ungraded visit in January 2022, confirmed the school remains Good, with leadership, early years provision, and overall effectiveness all rated Good.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including art studios, music rooms, an ICT suite, a sports hall, and a chapel, plus an outdoor playground. Sports on offer include gymnastics, swimming, netball and rounders, and there are clubs for science, gardening and book club. For families with children who have additional needs, the school lists SEND provisions for moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. Given its oversubscription, families living closest to the school will have the best chance of a place. Clarborough is a good fit for parents who want a well-subscribed local primary with nursery provision and a broad set of facilities, but who are comfortable with academic outcomes that sit below the local average.

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