Southwold Primary School and Early Years' Centre

About Southwold Primary School and Early Years' Centre

Southwold Primary School and Early Years' Centre sits within the Nottingham local authority, where it ranks 66th out of 72 primary schools based on the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths at Key Stage 2. That places it in the bottom half of schools locally, some distance behind the top-performing peers in the area. The three highest-ranked primaries in Nottingham are St Teresa's Catholic Primary School, Edna G. Olds Academy and South Wilford Endowed CofE Primary School, all of which achieved significantly higher ranking scores. Edna G. Olds Academy, the nearest outstanding-rated school, is just 1.4 kilometres away. Southwold itself is a smaller-than-average primary, with 217 pupils on roll against a capacity of 210, and it serves a community with above-average levels of disadvantage: 37.2 per cent of pupils are eligible for free school meals. The school has a nursery provision and is led by headteacher Yolanda Salmeron.

In its most recent Ofsted inspection, carried out in November 2024, Southwold was judged Good across all graded areas, including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. The overall effectiveness was not judged, as this was a section 8 inspection. The previous graded inspection in September 2019 also rated the school Good overall, with personal development scoring Outstanding at that time. At Key Stage 2 in 2023/24, 44 per cent of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, compared with a local authority average of 60 per cent. Reading was a relative strength: 81 per cent met the expected standard and 33 per cent reached the higher standard, with an average score of 106. Maths was weaker, with 52 per cent at expected and an average score of 101. No pupils achieved the higher standard in writing or in the combined reading, writing and maths measure.

Parent feedback is overwhelmingly positive, with 91 per cent of respondents saying they would recommend the school. In the Parent View survey covering September 2024 to September 2025, 100 per cent of the 11 respondents agreed or strongly agreed that their child is happy at the school, and 91 per cent felt their child does well there. The school offers a range of sports including rounders, tennis, dance, athletics and cricket, plus clubs such as book club, science club and art club. Facilities include a library, ICT suite, dining hall, outdoor playground and a chapel. Southwold has identified SEND provisions for moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, autistic spectrum disorder and other difficulties. For the 2025/26 intake, the school was oversubscribed: 41 applications were received for 18 places, with all 18 first-preference applicants offered a place, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.28. This is a school that suits families looking for a Good-rated, community-focused primary with strong early years provision and a supportive, well-regarded atmosphere, particularly for children who may benefit from smaller class sizes and a nurturing approach to SEND.

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