Forest Fields Primary and Nursery School

About Forest Fields Primary and Nursery School

Forest Fields Primary and Nursery School is a large state primary in Nottingham, operating above its official capacity with 642 pupils against 630 places. The school serves a community with significant economic disadvantage: 37.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the national average of around 23%. Demand is strong — for the 2025/26 intake, the school received 98 applications for 51 places, an oversubscription ratio of 1.92, with all 51 first-preference applicants receiving offers. The school is mixed, non-religious, and caters for children aged 3 to 11, including a nursery provision. The headteacher is Shahida Chowdhury. The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2024, rated it Good overall, with Good in every category: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. This is consistent with its previous Good rating from 2013.

Academically, Forest Fields sits near the bottom of the local authority rankings. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, just 42% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined — compared with the Nottingham local authority average of 60%. The school ranks 69th out of 72 primary schools in Nottingham, placing it in the bottom 50% nationally. Individual subject scores show 59% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, 47% in writing, and 60% in maths. Higher-attaining pupils are few: only 4% achieved the higher standard across all three subjects. Average scaled scores were 100 in reading and 101 in maths. Progress measures were not published for the school. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is Huntingdon Academy, 1.8 km away.

The school offers a broad range of facilities including a forest school, sensory room, music rooms, library, playing fields, and a chapel. Sports provision includes football, swimming, cross country, cricket and rounders, while clubs cover science, chess, film and drama. SEND provision is extensive, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social emotional and mental health needs, speech language and communication needs, hearing and visual impairments, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. For families considering Forest Fields, the data suggests a school that is popular locally and well-resourced for SEND, but where academic outcomes at KS2 are significantly below the local average. It may suit families who prioritise inclusive provision and a strong pastoral environment over headline exam results.

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