Orchard Primary School and Nursery

About Orchard Primary School and Nursery

Orchard Primary School and Nursery in Ashfield holds a Good rating from its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2022, a step down from the Outstanding grade it achieved in its previous inspection back in 2007. The school’s academic story is best told through its Key Stage 2 results for the 2023/24 year, where just 20% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined. That figure is significantly below the Nottinghamshire local authority average of 61%, and it places Orchard at the very bottom of the 30 primary schools in Ashfield. In individual subjects, 64% of pupils reached the expected level in reading and 53% in maths, but writing lagged at 33%. The school’s national ranking for this combined measure puts it in the bottom 50% of all primary schools in England.

Ofsted’s breakdown from the 2022 inspection rated every category as Good, including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. The early years provision was also judged Good. The school has a broad range of SEND provisions, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate and profound multiple learning difficulties, social and emotional mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, physical disabilities, and autistic spectrum disorder. This suggests the school is well set up to support children with a variety of additional needs. With 18.9% of pupils eligible for free school meals, Orchard serves a community with above-average levels of disadvantage compared with the national average.

The school is significantly oversubscribed for Reception places in 2025/26, with 115 applications for just 34 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 3.38. All 34 first-preference applicants were offered a place, so living close enough to qualify as a catchment applicant is clearly important. Facilities include a library, dining hall, gymnasium, playing fields, art studios, music rooms and even a chapel. Sports on offer include netball, dance, cricket, football, gymnastics and cross country, while clubs range from book club and choir to eco club, gardening and science club. The school also has its own nursery provision for children from age two. For families whose children need strong SEND support and who value a wide range of extracurricular activities, Orchard offers a lot on paper, though the academic outcomes are a clear concern to weigh up.

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