Arnbrook Primary School

Arnbrook Primary is performing as expected overall and safeguarding standards are met. Pupils are happy, safe and behave very well; they achieve well, particularly in reading, and are well prepared for the next stage of their education. The school provides a broad, balanced curriculum, strong early reading and phonics, effective early years provision, and inclusive support for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils. Disadvantaged pupils achieve above-average outcomes in reading and writing at the end of Year 6, and staff adapt teaching well so that pupils can access the curriculum alongside their peers.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve well and are well prepared for their next stages of learning.
• Reading is a high priority with a well-established systematic phonics programme.
• Disadvantaged pupils achieve above-average outcomes in reading and writing at the end of Year 6.
• Pupils with SEND are well supported to access the curriculum alongside their peers.
• The curriculum is broad and balanced and builds increasingly secure knowledge and skills.
• Teachers are well trained, have secure subject knowledge, and adapt teaching effectively.
• Early years provision gives children a positive start and supports early language development well.
• The school is inclusive, with leaders knowing pupils well and removing barriers to learning.
• Leaders have an accurate understanding of the school and appropriate, ambitious improvement plans.
• Governance and trust support are effective in driving school improvement.
• Staff feel valued, and their workload and wellbeing are prioritised.
• Pupils behave very well, show kindness and respect, and bullying is not a concern.
• The personal development programme promotes safety, health, diversity and British values effectively.
• A wide range of clubs, leadership roles and outdoor spaces enrich pupils’ development and wellbeing.
• Safeguarding standards are met.

Areas for Improvement

• Attendance rates for all groups have been below the national average over time.
• Persistent absence is too high, particularly for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Leaders’ attendance actions are at an early stage and have not yet improved overall attendance.
• The pupil premium grant has a less evident impact on improving attendance.
• Teachers’ expectations for writing quality are not consistently applied across all subjects and the wider curriculum.
• Pupils’ knowledge of fundamental British values is not fully secure and detailed.
• Aspects of mathematics achievement remain a focus for improvement.

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 Arnbrook Primary School attended 92.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 24.1% 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, 2.4% of pupils at Arnbrook Primary 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 Arnbrook Primary School had 20.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 6.7% 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, 12.8% of pupils at Arnbrook Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.2% 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 Arnbrook Primary School received £7,667 and spent £8,447 for each of its 163 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £655,000 (-£4,018 per pupil).

Across all 8 schools of One Academy Trust, income was £7,036 and spending £7,198 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

Arnbrook Primary School is part of One Academy Trust, which runs 8 schools. The nearest others:

• Southwark Primary School Nottingham
• Abbey Primary School Mansfield
• Dovedale Primary School Nottingham
• Sawley Infant and Nursery School Nottingham
• Sawley Junior School Nottingham
• Shardlow Primary School Derby
• Derwent Primary School Derby

What is Arnbrook Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Arnbrook Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Arnbrook Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Arnbrook Primary School was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Arnbrook Primary School have?

Arnbrook Primary School has 172 pupils on roll.

What age range does Arnbrook Primary School cover?

Arnbrook Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Arnbrook Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 55% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Arnbrook Primary School?

Arnbrook Primary School is at Bestwood Lodge Drive, Arnold, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG5 8NE.