This brief summary of Nottinghamshire’s schools provides an overview of how schools in the county are performing. The links in each section contain a wealth of information for you to do your own research on your child’s present or prospective schools.
Independent schools
Nottingham is well served by private education providers with five secondary independent schools in the city. There are two additional independent schools in the wider county, namely Wellow House and Worksop College. Two schools offer boarding facilities, Trent College and Worksop College, and there is one all-girls school, Nottingham Girls High School. Since Nottingham Boys High School began accepting female students in 2015, and dropped “Boys” from its name, there are no single-sex boys schools in either the city nor the county. Academically, most of the independent schools perform strongly and boast school facilities and extra-curricular activities that most state schools typically find hard to match.
Independent schools on the whole do not fall under the inspection of Ofsted but have their own Independent Schools Inspectorate, who regularly provide written reports but unlike Ofsted do not grade individual school performance.
The two highest examination performing schools in 2023 were Nottingham High School with grade 7 - 9 at GCSE of 86% and A / A* at A- Level of 59%. Nottingham Girls’ High School came next with grade 7 – 9 at GCSE of 75% and A / A* at A Level of 46%. Both these schools compare favourably with nationwide independent school averages of 59% and 44%, respectively.
Fees per annum range from £43,000 for boarding at Trent College to £4,200 day fees at One School Global, a federation of schools across Europe, North America and Oceania that encourages self-directed learning with a Christian ethos.
School | GCSE grade 7-9 | A-Level A/A* | Day fees per annum | Boarding fees per annum |
Nottingham High School | 86% | 59% | £16,047 | N/A |
Nottingham Girls’ High School | 75% | 46% | £14,298 | N/A |
One School Global | 66% | 29% | £4,164 | N/A |
Trent College | 45% | 28% | £23,352 | £43,182 |
Worksop College | 40% | 36% | £20,988 | £35,952 |
Hollygirt School | 36% | N/A | £13,071 | N/A |
Wellow House School | N/A | N/A | £15,489 | N/A |
State schools
Overview Nottinghamshire’s state schools in most performance measures closely follow national averages, with many showing positive improvements in recent years. According to the latest data from school inspections, 93% of all state-funded schools in the city and 90% in the county are rated as either "Good" or "Outstanding," this is further broken down by a slightly over performing primary sector and slightly underperforming secondary schools sector.
Ofsted rating of “Good” or “Outstanding” in their most recent inspection
Authority | Primary schools | Secondary schools | All schools |
Nottingham City | 96% | 78% | 93% |
Nottinghamshire | 92% | 82% | 90% |
All England | 91% | 83% | 90% |
This represents a steady improvement, particularly post-pandemic, as schools strive to close achievement gaps between students from deprived backgrounds and those from more affluent areas.
Nottinghamshire admissions portal (Nottinghamshire County Council)
Ofsted inspection outcomes data (GOV.UK).
Ofsted website including school reports (Ofsted)
Secondary schools performance The Progress 8 score, introduced in 2016, measures improvement between key stage 2 (ages 7-11) and key stage 4 (ages 14-16), across eight subjects. Nottinghamshire’s Progress 8 score for 2023 is -0.01 compared to -0.03 across England. The scores reflect how well a school compares with the national average. A school scoring -1 would be achieving a whole grade less in each qualification compared to national averages and a school scoring +1 one whole grade more. A score of -0.5 is considered not to be meeting minimum requirements. Highest scoring schools were Rushcliffe Spencer +0.84 and West Bridgford School +0.81 whilst Derrymount School -1.60 and Foxwood Academy -1.88 were at the bottom of the table. It should be noted that the two most successful schools are less than a mile apart and that more affluent areas tend to host the strongest performing schools.
Nottinghamshire School Performance Data Compare Notts. School Performance
Challenges in special and alternative provision A growing area of concern involves alternative provision (AP) schools, which cater to students who require different forms of support, often due to behavioural issues or special educational needs (SEN). Pupil numbers in these settings have surged between 2017/18 and 2023/24 by 55% in the city and 129% in county.
Alternative provision 2018 – 2024 Nottingham & Nottinghamshire
Authority | 2017/18 | 2023/24 | Increase % |
Nottingham City | 83 | 129 | 55% |
Nottinghamshire | 429 | 983 | 129% |
England | 23,086 | 48,133 | 108% |
(GOV.UK)
Socioeconomic disparities While Nottinghamshire schools are improving overall, disparities remain. Schools with higher proportions of pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM) tend to struggle more in Ofsted inspections. Nottingham city has considerably more children receiving FSMs than Nottinghamshire; the city being 50% higher than national averages and the county 10% lower. Encouragingly, recent data does show a narrowing of the gap in inspection outcomes between schools in more and less affluent areas. The region's schools continue to tackle these inequalities through targeted interventions and support, including Nottinghamshire County Councils’ Education Improvement Service that encourages and facilitates dialogue between schools to spread educational best practices.
Free school meals eligibility 2015 – 2024 Nottingham & Nottinghamshire
Authority | 2015/16 | 2023/24 |
Nottingham City | 24% | 37% |
Nottinghamshire | 12% | 22% |
England | 14% | 25% |
(GOV.UK)
Student-teacher ratios and resources The student-teacher ratio in many Nottinghamshire schools is generally in line with the national average. For example, schools such as Blue Coat Aspley have a ratio of 20:1, while others like Fernwood School offer more favourable ratios of 15:1. This variation impacts the level of individualised attention students receive, which can materially affect the student experience. Be sure to check out the link below for details on student-teacher ratio for schools across the region.
Independent comparison tool of schools (Snobe).
Conclusion Overall, Nottinghamshire’s state schools are performing in line with national averages. Nottingham acts as a microcosm for national traits with affluent areas generally benefitting from the best rated schools. Challenges persist in alternative provision and in addressing the needs of disadvantaged students. Please utilise the online resources in this report to do your own research on the best schools for your child.