Lowdham CofE Primary School

About Lowdham CofE Primary School

Lowdham CofE Primary School sits in an interesting spot compared with the Nottinghamshire average for Key Stage 2 outcomes. Its headline metric — the percentage of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined — stands at 54%, which is seven percentage points below the local authority average of 61%. That places the school in the bottom half of primary schools nationally, at the 70th percentile, and 158th out of 286 similar schools across Nottinghamshire. Yet the school itself holds an Ofsted rating of Outstanding, a grade it earned in its most recent inspection in 2023, with every single category — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision — all judged Outstanding. This contrast between a top-tier inspection rating and below-average test results is unusual and worth unpicking.

Looking more closely at the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, the picture is mixed. In writing, 81% of pupils met the expected standard, well above the national benchmark, and 23% achieved the higher standard. Reading and maths both saw 69% and 73% reaching the expected level respectively, with average scaled scores of 104 in each — bang on the national average of 100. Where the school really drops off is in the combined measure: only 54% of pupils hit the expected standard across all three subjects simultaneously, and just 8% reached the higher standard in all three. That suggests pupils may be stronger in individual subjects than in juggling all three together. The school ranks 19th out of 32 schools in the Newark and Sherwood local area on this combined metric, putting it in the bottom half locally. Progress scores are not available in the data, so it is hard to say whether pupils are improving faster or slower than peers elsewhere.

The school is a Church of England primary for children aged 5 to 11, with 204 pupils on roll, just under its capacity of 210. It is heavily oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, there were 102 applications for 30 places, a ratio of 3.4 applicants per place, with 36 first-preference applications for those 30 spots. Facilities include a forest school, sports hall, gymnasium, playing fields, art studios and an ICT suite, plus a chapel on site. The school offers swimming, athletics, gymnastics and football, and runs clubs including eco club, drama, gardening and film club. SEND provision covers moderate learning difficulty, social emotional and mental health needs, speech language and communication, visual impairment, and autistic spectrum disorder. For families who value a strong pastoral and creative environment over raw test scores, and who are comfortable with the high competition for places, Lowdham CofE Primary is a popular choice — but the data suggests its academic outcomes are not as strong as its Outstanding Ofsted grade might imply.

Key Details

Frequently Asked Questions About Lowdham CofE Primary School

Helpful Guides for Parents