Firbeck Academy

About Firbeck Academy

Firbeck Academy, a state primary in Nottingham, serves a community with high levels of disadvantage — 47.7 per cent of its 185 pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the national average. Its headline Key Stage 2 result, with 56 per cent of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, sits just below the Nottingham local authority average of 60 per cent. That places the school 47th out of 72 primaries in the city, in the bottom half of the local league table. Nationally, it ranks in the 68th percentile, meaning roughly a third of primaries across England perform lower on this measure. The picture is mixed: writing is a relative strength, with 81 per cent reaching the expected standard, while reading and maths sit at 70 and 67 per cent respectively. Only 4 per cent of pupils hit the higher standard across all three subjects, though 26 per cent did so in maths alone.

The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2023, rated it Good across every category — a notable improvement from its previous Requires Improvement judgement in 2019. Leadership and management, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, early years provision and the quality of education all scored a 2 (Good). The early years provision, previously graded 2 in 2019, has held steady. Average scaled scores in reading and maths both sit at 102, exactly in line with the national average of 100. Progress scores are not available in the data, so it is not possible to say how much value the school adds relative to pupils’ starting points. The school does not have a sixth form, and its nursery provision means children can join from age three.

Firbeck Academy is oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, it received 40 applications for just 7 places, a ratio of 5.71 applicants per place. Five of those were first-preference applications, all of which were offered places. The school’s facilities include a gymnasium, art studios, a library, an ICT suite, a sensory room and a forest school, plus playing fields and a chapel. Sports offered include tennis, dance, gymnastics and cross country, and clubs range from coding and science to drama, chess and film. The school’s SEND provision covers moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, physical disability, autistic spectrum disorder and other difficulties. For families seeking a nearby Outstanding-rated alternative, Portland Spencer Academy is 0.7 km away.

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