School Chooser

Rivendell Flying High Academy

Primary · ages 3-11MixedFree school195 pupilsNurseryNottinghamNottinghamshire
School Chooser Score
96
Well above
similar schools
Likely range 85 to 100
Out of 100. Better than 100% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
OfstedNo overall gradeLast Ofsted inspection, March 2025
Reached the expected level at 1171%England 63%
Attendance96.8%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families17%Far fewer than most schools
Places41 spare195 pupils, 236 places
Pupils per teacher20.3School workforce census

Rivendell Flying High Academy is a free school in Nottingham for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 195 pupils and room for 236. About 17 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 96 out of 100. That puts it well above schools like it, ahead of 100% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2025, no overall grade.

Magenta Way, Stoke Bardolph, Nottingham, NG14 5HH0115 648 9833rivendellfha.co.ukMrs Julie Worthington headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 11 March 2025, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Not judged Between September 2024 and November 2025, Ofsted graded each area but stopped giving one overall word.

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

14 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.

Reached the expected level at 1171%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level29%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score106.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score107.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2023 to 2025
2023: 67%67%20232024: 80%80%20242025: 71%71%2025
Since 2023: +4%Steady overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023NottinghamshireEngland
Pupils tested14109
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths71%80%67%63%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths29%0%11%7%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score106.0109.0106.0105.4105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score107.0104.0108.0104.6104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score107.0108.0107.0105.0105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard71%100%78%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard86%100%78%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)86%80%78%

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.

Getting a place

Open to all. There is no entrance test.

Plenty of spare places150 pupils for 210 places, 2024/25
71% full

60 places were empty (29% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in.

Will my child get a place?

The last child to get a place lived 370 m away in 2026, 980 m away in 2025, 7.4 miles away in 2024. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils, faith and other priority groups are placed first. After that, the closer you live, the better your chances. Type in your postcode to see how far away you are.

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. More children applied than there were places. The last place went to a child living 370 m from the school. Living closer than that didn't guarantee a place, but living much further away meant missing out that year.

EntryPlacesApplied at allGot a placeHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary3011630370 mLA
2025 Primary309230980 mLA
2024 Primary3075307.4 milesLA

The distances are the council's own, usually measured in a straight line from home to the school gate. If the distance is getting shorter each year, the school is getting harder to get into. See which councils we have this data for.

What a home within 680 m of the school costs

Typical sale price within 680 m of the school£299,250half sold for £238k to £340k
Homes sold183December 2023 to December 2025, Land Registry
Compared with the district+17%a typical home in the district sells for £255,000

Every home sold within that distance of the school (the typical cut-off over the last three years), of any type, from HM Land Registry records. If homes here cost more than the district average, that is the price people pay to live close enough to get in.

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 roll195Census January 2026
Places23683% full
Pupils from low-income families16%17% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English17%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support14%27 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan1%1 pupil with a plan
Average class size23.98 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)18%£46,500 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls104 / 91
White British pupils56%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 30.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 18.8 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (16), emotional and mental health (6), Autistic spectrum disorder (2), Physical disability (2), Moderate learning difficulty (1), Specific learning difficulty (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census2026202520242023
Pupils on roll195182159107
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals16%19%18%22%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language17%19%19%24%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support15%16%16%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans1%0%1%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 96.8% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance96.8%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school4.8%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.0%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/23England
Sessions missedOverall absence3.2%4.3%3.5%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence2.2%3.1%2.1%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.0%1.1%1.4%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence4.8%5.8%8.3%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.00.9
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions000

Staff and money

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

Teachers9.4full-time equivalent, 10 people
Pupils per teacher20.3Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers90%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants9.5full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£47,394
Teachers who left in the year11%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher2.52024/25

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£6,302England £7,128. Total £1.1m
Income per pupil£7,464England £7,587. Total £1.3m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,028England £3,405
Money in reserve13%A healthy amount put by: £173k, £965 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£208kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£6,302spent 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 m24812 months to June 2026, mostly shoplifting
Local crime rate44 per 1,000 people51% lower than the England average
Typical house price£254,250Gedling
Nearest bus stop40 mRivendell Academy, 4 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
Netherfield Primary SchoolAcademy720 m466Good 202243Compare
Willow Farm Primary SchoolAcademy1.0 miles243Report card 202680Compare
All Hallows CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England1.0 miles207Requires improvement 202419Compare
Priory Junior SchoolCouncil1.1 miles202Good 20239Compare
Phoenix Infant and Nursery SchoolCouncil1.2 miles164Good 202259Compare
The Sacred Heart Primary Catholic Voluntary AcademyAcademy1.3 miles219No overall grade 202541Compare
The Carlton Infant AcademyAcademy1.4 miles182Report card 202664Compare
Colwick St John the Baptist CofE Primary AcademyAcademy1.4 miles196Good 2024Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Rivendell Flying High Academy with the 47 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 47 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats100%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
Near the very top of its group. Its score of 96 is 51 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 10 · middle 45 · highest 96100

No school with a similar mix of pupils within 25 km scores clearly higher.

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 96 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 96% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 85 to 100. 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%in line
+0.08
2025 results; 14 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%well above
+0.43
Ofsted grade, 1.5 years old
Progress pupils make20%well above
+0.23
Contextualised attainment (no DfE progress measure available); 14 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%above
+0.06
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%well above
+0.11
2024/25; 124 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%well above
+0.11
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 14 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 Rivendell Flying High Academy a good school?

Yes, going by the figures. Rivendell Flying High Academy scores 96 out of 100. That is well above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 100% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 85 to 100, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is Rivendell Flying High Academy's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Rivendell Flying High Academy not judged at its last full inspection on 11 March 2025.

How good are Rivendell Flying High Academy's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 71% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 29% went further and reached the higher level. The year group was small, so the percentages jump around a lot from year to year.

How many pupils does Rivendell Flying High Academy have?

195 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 236 places, so it is 83% full.

Is Rivendell Flying High Academy oversubscribed, and how far away can you live?

Yes. For September 2026 the last place went to a child living 370 m away. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils and other priority groups come before distance, so the cut-off moves every year.

What is attendance like at Rivendell Flying High Academy?

Pupils were in school 96.8% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 5% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Rivendell Flying High Academy?

The average class had 23.9 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
Magenta Way, Stoke Bardolph, Nottingham, NG14 5HH
Telephone
0115 648 9833
Website
www.rivendellfha.co.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Julie Worthington
Type of school
Free school (Free schools, free schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
None
Multi-academy trust
Flying High Trust (39 schools)
Local authority
Nottinghamshire
Ward
Trent Valley
Constituency
Gedling
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 September 2022 (academy free school)
URN
149136 · LAESTAB 8912044 · UKPRN 10090883

Where these figures come from