Farnsfield St Michael's Church of England Primary School

About Farnsfield St Michael's Church of England Primary School

Farnsfield St Michael's Church of England Primary School sits within Nottinghamshire local authority, a state primary for mixed-gender pupils aged 5 to 11. In the Newark and Sherwood borough, it ranks 17th out of 32 primary schools, placing it in the bottom half of its immediate local area. Across the wider Nottinghamshire authority, which contains 286 primary schools, the school sits at rank 130. The top-performing peers in the same local authority include John Blow Primary School, Harworth CofE Academy, and Bunny CofE Primary School, all of which score higher on the ranking metric used. The school is led by headteacher Louise Carpenter and has a Church of England religious character. With 272 pupils on roll against a capacity of 280, it is nearly full. Just 5.5 per cent of pupils are eligible for free school meals, a figure well below the national average, suggesting a relatively affluent intake.

In its most recent Ofsted inspection from October 2023, the school retained an overall Good rating, a grade it has held across both its graded inspections. The breakdown shows particular strengths: early years provision and personal development were both judged Outstanding, while leadership and management also achieved Outstanding. Behaviour and attitudes, and the quality of education, were both rated Good. At Key Stage 2 in the 2023/24 academic year, 60 per cent of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which is just one point below the Nottinghamshire local authority average of 61 per cent. Ten per cent reached the higher standard in all three subjects. In reading, the average score was 104, with 29 per cent achieving a higher standard; in maths, the average was 103, also with 29 per cent at the higher level. Writing saw 79 per cent at expected and 17 per cent at higher. Nationally, the school ranks in the 56th percentile among all primaries.

The school offers a broad set of facilities including an ICT suite, art studios, a sports hall, playing fields, outdoor playground and a chapel. Sports provision covers netball, cross country, tennis, gymnastics, swimming, dance and cricket, while clubs include film club, drama, book club and choir. For pupils with additional needs, the school supports specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, hearing impairment, and other difficulties or disabilities. For the 2025/26 intake, the school was oversubscribed: 32 first-preference applications were made for 32 places, with 69 total applications, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.16. This is a school that suits families seeking a well-regarded village primary with strong early years provision, a clear Church of England character, and a full range of sports and creative activities, though those outside the catchment should be aware of its popularity.

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