Samuel Barlow Primary Academy

About Samuel Barlow Primary Academy

Samuel Barlow Primary Academy’s Key Stage 2 results sit well below the Nottinghamshire local authority average, which is a significant point for parents to weigh up. In the 2023/24 academic year, just 32% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with the LA average of 61%. That puts the school in the bottom half of primary schools in Newark and Sherwood, ranking 28th out of 32. Nationally, it falls in the bottom 5% of all primary schools on this measure. The picture is mixed across individual subjects: 60% of pupils met the expected standard in writing, which is closer to the national norm, but only 44% did so in reading and 48% in maths. The proportion reaching the higher standard in any of the three subjects was just 4%, so very few pupils are exceeding expectations at this stage.

The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2022, rated it Good overall, with Good in every category — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. That’s a clear improvement from its previous inspection in 2014, when it was rated Requires Improvement across the board. So while academic outcomes are currently low, the leadership team under headteacher Gareth Letton has stabilised the school’s quality since then. The Progress 8 measure is not available for this school, so it’s hard to say whether pupils are making typical progress from their starting points. The reading and maths average scores were 99 and 100 respectively, both close to the national benchmark of 100, suggesting that attainment is broadly in line with expectations even if the combined measure is low.

Samuel Barlow is a three-form entry primary with nursery provision, and it was oversubscribed for 2025/26: 52 applications for 31 places, with 29 first-preference offers made. The school has a relatively high proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at 36.4%, well above the national average, which may partly explain the lower headline results. Facilities include a forest school, music rooms, an ICT suite, a sports hall and art studios, and the school offers a wide range of clubs from chess and coding to choir and drama. Its SEND provision covers dyslexia, speech and language needs, autistic spectrum disorder and social, emotional and mental health support. For families who value a Good Ofsted rating and a broad enrichment offer, this school may still be a solid local option, but the academic data suggests it’s not currently matching the LA average for core outcomes.

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