School Chooser

Lowdham CofE Primary School

Primary · ages 5-11MixedChurch of England206 pupilsNottinghamNottinghamshire
School Chooser Score
92
Well above
similar schools
Likely range 82 to 96
Out of 100. Better than 81% of the 50 schools most like it. Getting better year on year.
OfstedOutstandingLast Ofsted inspection, July 2023
Reached the expected level at 1179%England 63%
Attendance95.8%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families5%Far fewer than most schools
Places4 spare206 pupils, 210 places
Pupils per teacher20.2School workforce census

Lowdham CofE Primary School is a Church of England school (voluntary aided) in Nottingham for boys and girls aged 5 to 11. It has 206 pupils and room for 210. About 5 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 92 out of 100. That puts it well above schools like it, ahead of 81% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was outstanding, back in 2023.

Main Street, Lowdham, Nottingham, NG14 7BE0115 966 3358lowdhamprimaryschool.co.ukMr Matt Jones headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 11 July 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Outstanding overall.

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

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

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

Reached the expected level at 1179%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level14%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score109.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score106.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 76%76%20172018: 70%70%20182019: 70%70%20192023: 63%63%20232024: 54%54%20242025: 79%79%2025
Since 2017: +3%Improving overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017NottinghamshireEngland
Pupils tested292630303029
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths79%54%63%70%70%76%63%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths14%8%7%17%13%10%7%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score109.0104.0106.0106.0107.0107.0105.4105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score106.0104.0105.0107.0107.0106.0104.6104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score107.0104.0104.0108.0108.0107.0105.0105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard86%69%77%77%80%79%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard83%73%83%83%83%93%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)79%81%73%87%80%93%
Reading progressReading progress score-0.6-0.3+0.7-0.3
Maths progressMaths progress score-0.7+1.3+1.0+0.1

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.

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. None of the 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 11Boys vs girls
75%82%
Gap 7 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. As a Church of England school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

Full205 pupils for 190 places, 2024/25
108% full

The school is full, with 15 more pupils than it has places for. More families apply than can get in, so things like how close you live and whether an older brother or sister is already here decide who gets a place. Pupil numbers have grown by 3% since 2021/22, so places are getting harder to come by.

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 (22 offers for 30 places).

EntryPlacesApplied at allGot a placeHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary309422all offeredLA
2025 Primary30102303.6 milesLA
2024 Primary307925all 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 roll206Census January 2026
Places21098% full
Pupils from low-income families5%5% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English5%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support5%11 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan1%1 pupil with a plan
Average class size29.47 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)5%£15,500 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls112 / 94
White British pupils93%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 28.7 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 30.0 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (7), Vision impairment (3), Autistic spectrum disorder (1), emotional and mental health (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll206204198202197195
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals5%7%9%8%7%8%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language5%6%6%4%1%1%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support4%5%5%5%6%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans2%2%1%2%0%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.8% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance95.8%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school8.5%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.5%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence4.2%4.6%4.6%4.3%2.5%3.0%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence2.7%2.9%3.1%2.9%1.9%2.0%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.5%1.7%1.6%1.4%0.6%1.1%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence8.5%8.4%9.0%10.4%4.7%3.5%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.00.50.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers10.2full-time equivalent, 11 people
Pupils per teacher20.2Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers91%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants2.6full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£45,792
Teachers who left in the year15%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher0.92024/25

Money

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

Spend per pupil£6,133England £7,738. Total £1.3m
Income per pupil£5,927England £7,697. Total £1.2m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,420England £3,480
Money in reserve-1%In the red: -£16k, -£77 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out-£42kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£6,133spent 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 m4112 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate64 per 1,000 people29% lower than the England average
Typical house price£236,000Newark and Sherwood
Nearest bus stop70 mHealth Centre, 12 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
Gunthorpe CofE Primary SchoolAcademy1.7 miles71Report card 202661Compare
Burton Joyce Primary SchoolAcademy2.1 miles315Not inspected46Compare
Wood's Foundation CofE Primary SchoolAcademy2.4 milesGood 2024Compare
East Bridgford St Peters Church of England AcademyAcademy2.6 miles261Good 202276Compare
Lambley Primary SchoolCouncil2.7 miles189Good 202339Compare
Bleasby Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy3.2 miles130Good 202380Compare
St Wilfrid's CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England3.7 miles208No overall grade 202576Compare
Willow Farm Primary SchoolAcademy3.8 miles243Report card 202680Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Lowdham CofE Primary School with the 48 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 48 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats81%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the top quarter of its group. Its score of 92 is 9 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 15 · middle 83 · highest 99100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 92 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 92% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 82 to 96. 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%above
+0.15
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 29 pupils
Ofsted inspection20% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)well above
+0.42
Ofsted grade, 3.2 years old
Progress pupils make20%in line
0.00
DfE progress measure; 29 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%above
+0.10
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%above
+0.07
2024/25; 177 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%in line
+0.00
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 29 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 Lowdham CofE Primary School a good school?

Yes, going by the figures. Lowdham CofE Primary School scores 92 out of 100. That is well above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 81% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 82 to 96, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been getting better over the last five years.

What is Lowdham CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Lowdham CofE Primary School outstanding at its last full inspection on 11 July 2023.

How good are Lowdham CofE Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 79% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 14% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Lowdham CofE Primary School have?

206 pupils aged 5 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 210 places, so it is 98% full.

Is Lowdham CofE Primary School oversubscribed?

Probably. The school was full in 2024/25, with 15 more pupils than places. How close you live, and the school's other admissions rules, decide who gets in.

What is attendance like at Lowdham CofE Primary School?

Pupils were in school 95.8% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 8% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Lowdham CofE Primary School?

The average class had 29.4 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
Main Street, Lowdham, Nottingham, NG14 7BE
Telephone
0115 966 3358
Website
www.lowdhamprimaryschool.co.uk
Headteacher
Mr Matt Jones
Type of school
Church of England school (voluntary aided) (Voluntary aided school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 5-11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England, Diocese of Southwell
Local authority
Nottinghamshire
Ward
Lowdham
Constituency
Sherwood Forest
Setting
Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
122806 · LAESTAB 8913566 · UKPRN 10080585

Where these figures come from