Blue Bell Hill Primary and Nursery School

Blue Bell Hill Primary and Nursery School is performing effectively, maintaining the high standards identified in its previous inspection. The school has a strong ethos of inclusivity and high expectations for all pupils, which contributes to their academic success and personal development. The leadership, supported by the Flying High Trust, is committed to ensuring that every student can achieve their full potential in a supportive environment. Parents and caregivers express confidence in the school, highlighting its role in the community and the happiness of their children.

Strengths

• High expectations and a no-excuses culture foster pupil achievement.
• A highly inclusive environment that celebrates cultural diversity.
• Effective implementation of a well-designed curriculum from Nursery to Year 6.
• Strong progress in phonics thanks to a well-trained staff and targeted support.
• Exceptional provision for pupils with significant needs in the woodland resource.
• A focus on attendance improvement showing clear signs of progress.
• Pupils are well-behaved and feel safe, with effective safeguarding measures in place.

Areas for Improvement

• Some teachers do not consistently check pupils' understanding before progressing.

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 Blue Bell Hill Primary and Nursery School attended 93.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 17.0% 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, 0.5% of pupils at Blue Bell Hill Primary and Nursery School 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 Blue Bell Hill Primary and Nursery School had 21.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 7.1% 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, 17.7% of pupils at Blue Bell Hill Primary and Nursery School 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 Blue Bell Hill Primary and Nursery School received £7,908 and spent £8,296 for each of its 430 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £277,000 (£644 per pupil).

Across all 35 schools of Flying High Trust, income was £7,225 and spending £7,388 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 · Nottingham local authority: places and applications

Blue Bell Hill Primary and Nursery School is part of Flying High Trust, which runs 38 schools. The nearest others:

• Porchester Junior School Nottingham
• Haddon Primary and Nursery School Nottingham
• Stanhope Primary and Nursery School Nottingham
• Ernehale Infant School Nottingham
• Ernehale Junior School Nottingham
• Rivendell Flying High Academy Nottingham
• Greythorn Primary School Nottingham
• Killisick Junior School Nottingham
• Edwalton Primary School Nottingham
• Stanstead Flying High Academy Nottingham

What is Blue Bell Hill Primary and Nursery School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Blue Bell Hill Primary and Nursery School is Good, from an inspection in June 2025.

When was Blue Bell Hill Primary and Nursery School last inspected by Ofsted?

Blue Bell Hill Primary and Nursery School was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does Blue Bell Hill Primary and Nursery School have?

Blue Bell Hill Primary and Nursery School has 452 pupils on roll.

What age range does Blue Bell Hill Primary and Nursery School cover?

Blue Bell Hill Primary and Nursery School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Blue Bell Hill Primary and Nursery School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 77% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Blue Bell Hill Primary and Nursery School?

Blue Bell Hill Primary and Nursery School is at Gordon Road, St Ann's, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG3 2LE.