School Chooser

John Hunt Academy

Primary · ages 3-11MixedAcademy350 pupilsNurseryNewarkNottinghamshire
School Chooser Score
27
Below
similar schools
Likely range 15 to 45
Out of 100. Better than 36% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, May 2024
Reached the expected level at 1145%England 63%
Attendance95.7%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families34%Far more than most schools
Places70 spare350 pupils, 420 places
Pupils per teacher20.4School workforce census

John Hunt Academy is a converter academy in Newark for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 350 pupils and room for 420. About 34 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 27 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 36% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2024.

London Road, New Balderton, Newark, NG24 3BN01636 682007johnhuntprimary.co.ukMrs Alison Good /Miss Lisa Devlin headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 8 May 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

51 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1145%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level6%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score102.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score103.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 38%38%20172018: 46%46%20182019: 63%63%20192023: 45%45%20232024: 47%47%20242025: 45%45%2025
Since 2017: +7%Steady overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure2025202420232019†2018†2017†NottinghamshireEngland
Pupils tested515858515458
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths45%47%45%63%46%38%63%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths6%2%5%6%2%5%7%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score102.0104.0102.0104.0101.0101.0105.4105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score103.0103.0102.0104.0102.0101.0104.6104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score104.0103.0100.0105.0104.0103.0105.0105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard65%69%59%71%61%57%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard76%72%59%82%70%53%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)55%55%53%76%70%57%
Reading progressReading progress score-1.1+1.3-1.8-3.2
Maths progressMaths progress score-0.8+0.7-0.5-3.3
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged22%38%36%67%25%11%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged58%51%47%62%59%50%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

† These results are for John Hunt Primary School, the school this one replaced in February 2021. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 1 of the 4 gaps is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
22%58%
Gap 36 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
46%44%
Gap 2 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Pupils learning English vs all pupils
78%45%
Gap 33 ptsEngland 4 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%6%
Gap 6 ptsEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Plenty of spare places326 pupils for 420 places, 2024/25
78% full

94 places were empty (22% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 11% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.

Will my child get a place?

In 2026 every child who applied got a place, so how far away you live didn't matter. That could change if the school gets more popular.

We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.

How places were given out for September 2026. Every child who applied got a place (32 offers for 60 places).

EntryPlacesApplied at allGot a placeHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary608932all offeredLA
2025 Primary6010333all offeredLA
2024 Primary6010340all offeredLA

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll350Census January 2026
Places42083% full
Pupils from low-income families33%34% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English11%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support17%60 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan1%4 pupils with a plan
Average class size24.614 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)34%£173,600 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls158 / 192
White British pupils78%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 22.4 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 26.1 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (18), Moderate learning difficulty (17), Autistic spectrum disorder (12), emotional and mental health (10), Physical disability (3), Hearing impairment (2).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census20262025202420232022
Pupils on roll350350355373409
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals33%31%31%29%27%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language11%12%9%8%5%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support15%18%13%16%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans2%1%1%0%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.7% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance95.7%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school11.5%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils3.12024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.4%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/21†2018/19†England
Sessions missedOverall absence4.3%4.3%4.5%5.9%3.2%3.6%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.0%3.1%3.4%4.2%2.1%2.5%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.4%1.2%1.1%1.7%1.1%1.1%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence11.5%7.9%10.8%15.9%7.7%8.2%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate3.11.12.72.22.5
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00100

† These attendance figures are for John Hunt Primary School, the school this one replaced in February 2021. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers16.8full-time equivalent, 20 people
Pupils per teacher20.4Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants8.6full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£52,918
Teachers who left in the year6%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher5.32024/25

Money

From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£6,155England £7,128. Total £2.1m
Income per pupil£6,653England £7,587. Total £2.3m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,239England £3,405
Money in reserve13%A healthy amount put by: £298k, £868 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£171kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£6,155spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m20112 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate59 per 1,000 people35% lower than the England average
Typical house price£236,000Newark and Sherwood
Nearest bus stop70 mBaines Avenue, 17 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Chuter Ede Primary SchoolCouncil730 m615No overall grade 202448Compare
The Sir Donald Bailey AcademyAcademy0.9 miles507Good 202378Compare
Barnby Road Academy Primary and Nursery schoolAcademy1.0 miles593Good 202352Compare
The King's Church of England Primary AcademyAcademy1.0 miles227Good 20239Compare
Holy Trinity Catholic Voluntary AcademyAcademy1.4 miles248Good 20248Compare
Christ Church C of E Primary SchoolChurch of England1.5 miles213Good 20222Compare
Mount CofE Primary SchoolAcademy1.6 miles195No overall grade 20252Compare
Newark Flying High AcademyAcademy1.7 miles146Requires improvement 20231Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares John Hunt Academy with the 50 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 50 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats36%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the lower half of its group. Its score of 27 is 4 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 1 · middle 30 · highest 92100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 50 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than John Hunt Academy, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.

SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
The Python Hill AcademyAcademy14.0 miles307Good 202381Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 27 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 27% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 15 to 45. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years25%below
-0.19
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 51 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 2.3 years old
Progress pupils make20%below
-0.11
DfE progress measure; 51 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%above
+0.06
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%above
+0.04
2024/25; 305 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%below
-0.10
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 51 pupils
What parents say0%no data

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is John Hunt Academy a good school?

The figures are weak. John Hunt Academy scores 27 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 36% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 15 to 45, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is John Hunt Academy's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated John Hunt Academy good at its last full inspection on 8 May 2024.

How good are John Hunt Academy's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 45% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 6% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does John Hunt Academy have?

350 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 420 places, so it is 83% full.

Is John Hunt Academy oversubscribed?

Probably not. 94 places were empty in 2024/25 (22% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at John Hunt Academy?

Pupils were in school 95.7% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 11% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at John Hunt Academy?

The average class had 24.6 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
London Road, New Balderton, Newark, NG24 3BN
Telephone
01636 682007
Website
www.johnhuntprimary.co.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Alison Good /Miss Lisa Devlin
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
Aspire and Shine Education Trust (15 schools)
Local authority
Nottinghamshire
Ward
Balderton North & Coddington
Constituency
Newark
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 February 2021 (academy converter)
URN
148284 · LAESTAB 8912678 · UKPRN 10087338
Formerly
John Hunt Primary School

Where these figures come from