Holgate Primary and Nursery School

About Holgate Primary and Nursery School

Holgate Primary and Nursery School’s most recent Ofsted inspection, in 2023, awarded it a Good rating across every category — a clear improvement from its previous Requires Improvement judgement in 2019. That upward trajectory is worth noting, but how does the school stack up against the Nottinghamshire average for primary schools? The local authority average for Key Stage 2 attainment is 61, a benchmark Holgate’s pupils would need to meet or exceed to be considered above par. Without specific KS2 results published for the school itself, the headline story here is the Ofsted turnaround: the school moved from a 3 (Requires Improvement) to a 2 (Good) in overall effectiveness, quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership. Early years provision also improved from a 2 to a Good. This suggests a school that has addressed its weaknesses and is now performing reliably, even if it hasn’t yet pushed into Outstanding territory — only 14 of Nottinghamshire’s 286 primary schools hold that top grade.

Academically, the most concrete evidence of progress is the Ofsted breakdown itself. In 2019, the school’s quality of education was rated Requires Improvement, but by 2023 it had been upgraded to Good. That’s a meaningful shift, and it aligns with the broader pattern: every graded area — from early years to personal development — now sits at Good. The school has no published Progress 8 or KS2 SATs results in this data, so the best proxy for academic health is the inspection report’s judgement on quality of education, which is solidly Good. Compared with the Nottinghamshire primary average of 61 for KS2, we can’t say whether Holgate outperforms or underperforms that benchmark, but the Ofsted rating suggests it is delivering a standard that meets expectations. The school also offers nursery provision, meaning children can start at age three, which gives families a longer runway within the same setting. With a capacity of 420, it’s a reasonably sized primary, and headteacher Samantha Sheridan has overseen the recent improvement.

For families considering Holgate, the practical picture is reassuring. The school has a good range of facilities, including music rooms, art studios, a sports hall, playing fields, and a sensory room — the latter a strong indicator of SEND support. Clubs like book club, gardening, and choir add breadth, and sports on offer include football, netball, tennis, and dance. The school also has a chapel, which is unusual for a non-religious school and may be used for assemblies or community events. Oversubscription data isn’t provided, but the school’s Good rating and recent improvement could make it increasingly popular. The nearest Outstanding school is Hucknall Flying High Academy, 1.6 km away, so families with a strong preference for Outstanding may look there, but Holgate offers a solid, improving option within the Ashfield area. It’s particularly well suited to families who value a broad extracurricular offer and a school that has demonstrably turned itself around under current leadership.

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