Croft Primary School

About Croft Primary School

Croft Primary School in Ashfield is a state primary for mixed pupils aged 5 to 11, currently home to 386 children against a capacity of 420. That leaves a small buffer, but the school is clearly in demand: for the 2025/26 intake, it received 132 applications for just 33 places, with 31 of those going to first-preference families. That oversubscription ratio of 4 to 1 tells you this is a school local families are keen to get into. The pupil body is notably diverse in terms of disadvantage, with 24.4% of children eligible for free school meals — a figure that sits above the national average for primary schools, which typically hovers around 23-24%. The school has no religious character and is led by headteacher Sally-Ann Seward. It does not offer nursery provision, so entry begins at Reception.

Academically, Croft's most recent Ofsted inspection in January 2025 rated the school as Requires Improvement overall, though this was a section 8 inspection and the overall effectiveness was not formally judged. The breakdown shows a mixed picture: behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management were all rated Good, while quality of education and early years provision were both judged as Requires Improvement. In the 2023/24 KS2 results, 58% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined — slightly below the local authority average of 61%. Reading and maths average scores were 104 and 103 respectively, and 71% hit the expected standard in maths. The school ranks 18th out of 30 primary schools in Ashfield on this measure, placing it in the bottom half nationally at the 61st percentile.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including a Forest School, sensory room, sports hall, and chapel, plus clubs like coding, gardening, and chess. Its SEND provisions are broad, covering autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language needs, visual impairment, and physical disability among others. Parent feedback from a survey of 32 respondents was largely positive: 78% would recommend the school, 94% agreed or strongly agreed their child is happy, and 88% felt their child does well. However, only 59% agreed concerns are dealt with properly, and 22% said they would not recommend it. For families who value a strong pastoral and behavioural environment — both rated Good — and want a school with a wide range of clubs and SEND support, Croft is a popular local option, though academic outcomes are currently below the LA average.

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