Robert Shaw Primary and Nursery School

About Robert Shaw Primary and Nursery School

Robert Shaw Primary and Nursery School sits in the bottom half of Nottingham primary schools, ranked 57th out of 74 in the local authority. Its headline Key Stage 2 metric — the percentage of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths — stands at 52%, which is eight percentage points below the Nottingham LA average of 60%. That gap is significant and places the school firmly in the bottom 50 nationally by this measure. However, the picture is more nuanced when you look at individual subjects. In writing, 79% of pupils met the expected standard, and in reading it was 69% — both respectable figures. The real drag comes from maths, where only 62% reached the expected level, and from the very low proportion achieving the higher standard across all three subjects (just 7%). So while the school is below average overall, its performance is uneven rather than uniformly weak.

The school's most recent Ofsted inspection, in September 2021, awarded a Good rating across all five graded categories: overall effectiveness, quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. Early years provision was also rated Good. This marks a clear improvement from the previous inspection in 2016, when the school was judged to require improvement overall, with leadership and management also rated Requires Improvement. The current headteacher, Karen Coker, has overseen that turnaround. In terms of exam scores, the average reading score was 103 and the average maths score was 102 — both just above the national benchmark of 100. Progress scores are not available in the data, so it is difficult to say how much value the school adds relative to pupils' starting points, but the raw attainment figures suggest a school that is broadly in line with national averages in reading and writing, while maths remains a weaker spot.

Robert Shaw is a three-form entry primary with a nursery, catering for children aged 3 to 11. It is oversubscribed: for 2025/26, there were 56 applications for 32 places, with 31 first-preference offers made. The school has a relatively high proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at 26.3%, reflecting the local demographic. Facilities include a forest school, sensory room, music rooms, art studios, and a chapel, plus a range of clubs from gardening to film club and choir. The school offers support for a broad spectrum of SEND needs, including dyslexia, speech and language difficulties, and autistic spectrum disorder. For families considering this school, the key trade-off is clear: it is a popular, improving school with good Ofsted ratings and strong writing outcomes, but its overall academic results trail the LA average, particularly in maths. It may suit parents who value the wider provision and pastoral support over headline exam scores.

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