Fairfield Spencer Academy

Fairfield Spencer Academy is a larger-than-average primary school within the Spencer Academies Trust. It has experienced significant leadership changes, including a new principal appointed in January 2026, and inspectors found a united, purposeful school where safeguarding is met. Pupils are happy, feel safe, behave well and attend in line with national averages, and they achieve well overall, including in the early years, phonics and mathematics. Most pupils are well prepared for their next steps in education. The school's notable strengths include a well-organised curriculum that reflects its local context, effective inclusion and pastoral support, strong personal development, and a wide range of music, sport and community opportunities. Leadership and governance are clear and accurate about priorities, and staff feel valued and supported. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are generally supported well to learn alongside their peers. The main areas for improvement are that some pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those facing barriers to learning, do not achieve as well as their peers. In some wider curriculum and foundation subjects, teachers do not consistently check what pupils know and remember, which can leave gaps in knowledge. In a few instances, teaching decisions about what key knowledge to teach and when are inconsistent, which can reduce progress for some pupils.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve well overall and are well prepared for their next steps.
• Children make a positive start in the early years and achieve well.
• Pupils develop strong foundations in phonics and mathematics.
• Pupils generally produce high-standard work in books, including pupils with SEND.
• Pupils behave well and the school has a happy, positive atmosphere.
• Attendance for most pupils is broadly in line with national averages.
• Bullying is rare and pupils trust staff to deal with it swiftly.
• The curriculum is well organised and thoughtfully adapted to the local context.
• Pupils with SEND are identified and generally supported well in lessons.
• Leaders have effective inclusion systems and high-quality pastoral support.
• Leadership has a clear vision, accurate self-evaluation and precise improvement priorities.
• Governors know the school well and provide effective challenge and support.
• Staff feel valued, supported and have strong professional development opportunities.
• The personal development programme prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain.
• Pupils access a wide range of clubs, music, sport and community activities.
• The school builds a strong sense of community and belonging.

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils facing barriers to learning, including disadvantaged pupils, do not achieve as well as their peers.
• Teachers do not consistently check what pupils know and remember in wider curriculum and foundation subjects.
• This inconsistency can lead to gaps in some pupils' knowledge.
• In a few instances, teaching lacks consistency in deciding what key knowledge to teach and when.
• Some pupils cannot make effective connections to previous learning, reducing their progress.

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 Fairfield Spencer Academy attended 95.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 12.0% 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, 0.2% of pupils at Fairfield Spencer 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 Fairfield Spencer Academy had 23.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.5% 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, 15.3% of pupils at Fairfield Spencer Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.8% 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 Fairfield Spencer Academy received £6,156 and spent £6,188 for each of its 620 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £678,000 (£1,094 per pupil).

Across all 27 schools of The Spencer Academies Trust, income was £7,619 and spending £7,638 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.

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

Fairfield Spencer Academy is part of The Spencer Academies Trust, which runs 27 schools. The nearest others:

• George Spencer Academy Nottingham
• Sunnyside Spencer Academy Nottingham
• Bispham Spencer Academy Nottingham
• Chetwynd Spencer Academy Nottingham
• Portland Spencer Academy Nottingham
• Glenbrook Spencer Academy Nottingham
• Farnborough Spencer Academy Nottingham
• Rushcliffe Spencer Academy Nottingham
• Rosecliffe Spencer Academy Nottingham
• Clover Leys Spencer Academy Derby

What is Fairfield Spencer Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Fairfield Spencer Academy is Expected standard, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Fairfield Spencer Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Fairfield Spencer Academy was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Fairfield Spencer Academy have?

Fairfield Spencer Academy has 627 pupils on roll.

What age range does Fairfield Spencer Academy cover?

Fairfield Spencer Academy for pupils aged 5 to 11.

What are Fairfield Spencer Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 70% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Fairfield Spencer Academy?

Fairfield Spencer Academy is at Toton Lane, Stapleford, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG9 7HB.