Retford Oaks Academy

About Retford Oaks Academy

Retford Oaks Academy was rated Good in its most recent graded Ofsted inspection, a significant improvement from its previous rating of Requires Improvement in 2015. The school has maintained this Good standard, with an ungraded inspection in 2022 confirming it remains Good. The most telling academic metric is the school's Progress 8 score of -0.52, which is well below the national average and places it in the bottom 50 of schools nationally. This score means that, on average, pupils achieve about half a grade less per subject than their peers with similar starting points. The school's Attainment 8 score sits at 34.6, and just 36.9% of pupils achieved a grade 4 or above in English and maths. The EBacc entry rate is very low at 3%, and the EBacc average point score is 2.7. In the local authority of Nottinghamshire, where the average Progress 8 score is -0.11, Retford Oaks ranks 36th out of 46 similar schools.

At Key Stage 5, the sixth form has 38 pupils and a value added score of -0.49, which is classified as below average. The average points per entry is 23.86, equating to a D+ grade, and the best three A-levels average out to a C-. No pupils achieved the AAB combination in the most recent data. The school's Progress 8 breakdown shows that English is the weakest area at -0.83, while maths is slightly better at -0.42. The open element of Progress 8, which covers other subjects, is -0.39. The school's ranking in the East Midlands region places it in the 82nd percentile, and nationally it sits in the 84th percentile, meaning the majority of schools in the country achieve stronger academic progress. Compared with its previous inspection, the school has moved from Requires Improvement to Good, but the academic outcomes data suggests there is still considerable ground to cover.

The school is oversubscribed, with 512 applications for 204 places in the 2025/26 academic year, and 149 first preference offers made from 150 first preference applications. It serves a community where 30.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the national average. Facilities include a library, science labs, sports hall, astro turf, sixth form centre, theatre, gymnasium, dining hall, playing fields, and music rooms. Sports offered include rowing, swimming, tennis, netball, cricket, and dance, while clubs range from Model UN and DofE to coding, science club, and Young Enterprise. The school has a broad range of SEND provisions, covering specific learning difficulties, moderate learning difficulties, social emotional and mental health needs, speech language and communication needs, hearing and visual impairments, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. This is a school that has improved its Ofsted rating but is still working to raise academic outcomes, and it may suit families who value the range of extracurricular activities and the inclusive SEND support over top-tier exam results.

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