The Sacred Heart Primary Catholic Voluntary Academy

The Sacred Heart Primary Catholic Voluntary Academy is performing well overall. Pupils respond strongly to the school’s HEART values, behave positively, take on meaningful responsibilities and benefit from a well-planned curriculum. Reading and phonics are particularly secure, pupils with SEND are well supported, the early years provision is strong, and personal development is well organised. Safeguarding is effective.

Strengths

• Pupils consistently demonstrate positive behaviour and courtesy.
• The HEART values are embedded consistently across the school.
• Pupils take pride in many responsible roles around the school.
• Pupils play co-operatively and creatively at breaktimes.
• The curriculum is well planned and builds knowledge incrementally.
• Reading and phonics provision are well organised and effective.
• Pupils with SEND are well identified and skilfully supported.
• Early years provision is happy, vibrant and well organised.
• Personal development, PSHE and relationships education are well planned.
• Leadership has brought significant improvements and has good capacity for further improvement.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Assessment information is not used well enough in some foundation subjects to evaluate curriculum strengths and weaknesses.
• Some pupils are occasionally given work that is too easy for them.
• Some pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, do not attend school regularly enough.
• Attendance improvements have begun but are not yet fully secured.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at The Sacred Heart Primary Catholic Voluntary Academy attended 94.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 12.4% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 1.4% of pupils at The Sacred Heart Primary Catholic Voluntary Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 The Sacred Heart Primary Catholic Voluntary Academy had 25.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 23.8% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 13.2% of pupils at The Sacred Heart Primary Catholic Voluntary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.8% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 The Sacred Heart Primary Catholic Voluntary Academy received £6,587 and spent £6,837 for each of its 216 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £94,000 (£434 per pupil).

Across all 35 schools of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Multi-Academy Trust, income was £7,555 and spending £7,362 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Nottingham · Nottinghamshire local authority: places and applications

The Sacred Heart Primary Catholic Voluntary Academy is part of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Multi-Academy Trust, which runs 35 schools. The nearest others:

• Our Lady & St Edward Primary & Nursery Catholic Voluntary Academy Nottingham
• St Augustine's Catholic Primary and Nursery School, A Voluntary Academy Nottingham
• The Good Shepherd Catholic Primary, Arnold Nottingham
• Christ The King Voluntary Academy Nottingham
• St Edmund Campion Catholic Primary School Nottingham
• St Mary's Catholic Primary School Nottingham
• St Patrick's Catholic Primary and Nursery School Nottingham
• St Margaret Clitherow Catholic Primary School Nottingham
• The Becket School West Bridgford
• Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Catholic Primary School Nottingham

What is The Sacred Heart Primary Catholic Voluntary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Sacred Heart Primary Catholic Voluntary Academy is Good, from an inspection in June 2025.

When was The Sacred Heart Primary Catholic Voluntary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

The Sacred Heart Primary Catholic Voluntary Academy was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does The Sacred Heart Primary Catholic Voluntary Academy have?

The Sacred Heart Primary Catholic Voluntary Academy has 219 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Sacred Heart Primary Catholic Voluntary Academy cover?

The Sacred Heart Primary Catholic Voluntary Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are The Sacred Heart Primary Catholic Voluntary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 54% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is The Sacred Heart Primary Catholic Voluntary Academy?

The Sacred Heart Primary Catholic Voluntary Academy is at Southcliffe Road, Carlton, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG4 1EQ.