The Sir Donald Bailey Academy
The Sir Donald Bailey Academy is an academy converter in Newark for pupils aged 2 to 11. It has 507 pupils on roll. In 2025, 75% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.
KS2 results: 2025.
| Type | Primary / Academy converter |
| Age Range | 2-11 |
| Religion | Does not apply |
| Address | Bailey Road Newark Nottinghamshire NG24 4EP |
| Phone | 01636680142 |
| Reference Number | 141760 |
General Makeup
| Number of pupils | 507 |
| Boy/Girl ratio |
Boys: 51.68%
Girls: 48.32% |
| Percentage of students eligible for free school meals | 58.6% |
| Percentage of students where English is not their first language | 14.2% |
Class Sizes
| Average size of one teacher classes | 25.1 |
| Average size of Key Stage 1 classes taught by one teacher | 22.6 |
| Average size of Key Stage 2 classes taught by one teacher | 27.1 |
Year Groups
| Year | Boys | Girls | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 | 21 | 48 |
| 2 | 30 | 22 | 52 |
| 3 | 26 | 32 | 58 |
| 4 | 36 | 35 | 71 |
| 5 | 33 | 34 | 67 |
| 6 | 37 | 38 | 75 |
Ethnicities
| Ethnicity | Percentage |
|---|---|
| White, British | 81.1% |
| White, Other | 10.8% |
| Chinese | 2% |
| African | 1.2% |
| White & Black (Caribbean) | 0.8% |
| White & Asian | 0.8% |
| Asian, Other | 0.6% |
| Mixed, Other | 0.4% |
| Indian | 0.2% |
| Unclassified | 0.2% |
| Overall Ofsted Rating | |
| Last Report Date | 20 Jun 2023 – no overall grade published for this inspection |
| Date | Report |
|---|---|
| 20 Jun 2023 | School inspection |
| 08 Oct 2020 | Monitoring visit |
| 07 Feb 2018 | Short inspection |
| 04 Mar 2015 | Academy conversion letter |
| 30 Sep 2014 | Full inspection: |
| Previously as Bowbridge Primary School | |
| 15 Jan 2013 | Interim assessment |
| 17 Nov 2009 | Full inspection: |
| 17 Nov 2008 | Curriculum and development visit |
| 27 Jun 2008 | Curriculum and development visit |
| 10 Jul 2007 | Full inspection: |
| 07 Jun 2007 | Curriculum and development visit |
| 09 Dec 2002 | Full inspection |
Ofsted Parent View
The latest published parent view scores are from 2022. Ofsted only publish scores if there have been more than 10 responses to the survey.
| Strongly Agree | Agree | Disagree | Strongly Disagree | Don't Know | Total Responses | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. My child is happy at this school. | 33 | 19 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 59 |
| 2. My child feels safe at this school. | 37 | 15 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 59 |
| 3. The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved. | 25 | 21 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 59 |
| 4. My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively. | 35 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 4 |
| 5. The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year. | 34 | 20 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 59 |
| 6. When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly. | 13 | 21 | 12 | 6 | 5 | 2 |
| 7. My child has SEND, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed. | 11 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 23 |
| 8. The school has high expectations for my child. | 24 | 23 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 59 |
| 9. My child does well at this school. | 28 | 25 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 59 |
| 10. The school lets me know how my child is doing. | 26 | 25 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 59 |
| 11. There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school. | 32 | 23 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 59 |
| 12. My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school. | 26 | 19 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 59 |
| 13. The school supports my child’s wider personal development. | 27 | 19 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 59 |
| 14. I would recommend this school to another parent. | 44 | 15 |
How many students meet the standards
| Reading, Writing & Maths | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils meeting the expected standard | 75% | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Pupils meeting a higher standard | 0% | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
Average Scaled Score
Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.
| Subject | School | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 105 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Maths | 105 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
Progress Scores
A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.
| Metric | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 4.1 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Writing | 4.5 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Maths | 3.1 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
How many students meet the standards
Sample
UnlockAverage Scaled Score
Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.
Sample
UnlockProgress Scores
A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.
Sample
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See how The Sir Donald Bailey Academy ranks locally and nationally. Percentile rankings against every other school, historic result charts, admissions data and post-GCSE destinations are all included.
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Unlock for £9.99Reception admissions, 2026 entry
Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment
| Number of Applications | Number of Offers | |
| First Preference | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Second Preference | 7 | 0 |
| Third Preference | 8 | 0 |
| From another Local Authority | 0 | 0 |
Previous years
Sample
UnlockPlaces and pupil numbers
In 2024–25 The Sir Donald Bailey Academy had 434 pupils for 525 places. 91 places (17.3%) were unfilled.
Pupils and places
Reception intake in the “Newark Town” planning area
Nottinghamshire counted 349 Reception pupils in this area in 2024–25 and forecasts 325 in 2029–30, down 7%.
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Places | 576 | 578 | 578 | 578 | 576 | 576 | 576 | 576 | 525 | 525 |
| Pupils | 425 | 421 | 427 | 450 | 438 | 462 | 466 | 468 | 452 | 434 |
| Unfilled | 26.2% | 27.2% | 26.1% | 22.1% | 24.0% | 19.8% | 19.1% | 18.8% | 13.9% | 17.3% |
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 Sir Donald Bailey Academy attended 94.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 19.2% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).
Sessions missed
Pupils persistently absent
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Authorised absence | 3.0% | 2.5% | 2.7% | 3.4% | 9.5% | 5.3% | 4.6% | 4.1% | 4.5% |
| Unauthorised absence | 0.8% | 0.9% | 1.2% | 1.3% | 1.0% | 1.8% | 1.4% | 1.3% | 1.4% |
| Severely absent pupils | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.2% | 0.5% | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
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, 1.7% of pupils at The Sir Donald Bailey Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.
Pupils suspended at least once
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspensions per 100 pupils | 0.8 | 0.2 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 0.9 | 1.8 | 3.4 | 0.7 | 1.5 | 3.3 |
| Permanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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 Sir Donald Bailey Academy had 18.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 14.7% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).
Pupils per teacher
Teachers who left the school within a year
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils per adult | 9.7 | 10.2 | 11.6 | 9.8 | 9.5 | 9.7 | 8.8 | 8.9 | 8.3 | 9.1 | 8.7 |
| Teachers who left state teaching | 0.0% | 0.0% | 7.0% | 6.7% | 8.5% | 5.6% | 13.2% | 10.4% | 3.0% | 10.0% | – |
| Teachers who took any sick leave | 20.6% | 22.6% | 22.7% | 34.5% | – | 37.8% | 34.1% | 64.9% | 39.4% | 68.8% | – |
| Sick days per teacher | 0.5 | 1.5 | 0.4 | 1.1 | – | 4.9 | 2.0 | 6.6 | 1.5 | 5.8 | – |
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, 15.8% of pupils at The Sir Donald Bailey Academy 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
| SEN support | EHC plan | |
|---|---|---|
| Speech, language and communication needs | 26 | 2 |
| Social, emotional and mental health | 25 | 0 |
| Autistic spectrum disorder | 11 | 3 |
| Moderate learning difficulty | 7 | 0 |
| Physical disability | 3 | 1 |
| Hearing impairment | 3 | 0 |
| Specific learning difficulty | 3 | 0 |
| Vision impairment | 2 | 0 |
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 Sir Donald Bailey Academy received £7,651 and spent £7,356 for each of its 492 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £385,000 (£784 per pupil).
Across all 8 schools of The Forge Trust, income was £7,103 and spending £7,084 per pupil.
Income per pupil
Spending per pupil
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue reserve | £627,000 | £476,000 | £663,000 | £374,000 | £325,000 | £265,000 | £385,000 |
| per pupil | £1,295 | £939 | £1,283 | £722 | £626 | £532 | £784 |
| In-year balance | £441,000 | -£186,000 | £122,000 | -£175,000 | -£46,000 | -£1,000 | £145,000 |
| per pupil | £911 | -£367 | £235 | -£338 | -£89 | -£2 | £295 |
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.
| Name | Distance |
|
The King's Church of England Primary Academy
Holden Crescent, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 4HU |
0.43 miles |
|
Holy Trinity Catholic Voluntary Academy
Boundary Road, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 4AU |
0.76 miles |
|
Highfields School
London Road, Newark, NG24 3AL |
0.81 miles |
|
John Hunt Academy
London Road, New Balderton, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 3BN |
0.87 miles |
|
Christ Church C of E Primary School
Flaxley Lane, Middlebeck, Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire, NG24 3XB |
0.9 miles |
|
Barnby Road Academy Primary and Nursery school
John Gold Avenue, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 1RU |
0.96 miles |
|
Mount CofE Primary School
Kings Road, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 1EW |
1.2 miles |
|
Chuter Ede Primary School
Wolfit Avenue, Balderton, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 3PQ |
1.31 miles |
|
Newark Flying High Academy
Warburton Street, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 1LT |
1.43 miles |
|
St Peter's Crosskeys CofE Academy
Sandhill Road, Farndon, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 4TE |
1.62 miles |
|
Bishop Alexander L.E.A.D. Academy
Wolsey Road, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 2BQ |
2.3 miles |
|
Coddington CofE Primary and Nursery School
Brownlows Hill, Coddington, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 2QA |
2.42 miles |
|
Winthorpe Primary School
Thoroughfare Lane, Winthorpe, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 2NN |
3.27 miles |
|
All Saints Anglican/Methodist Primary School
Top Street, Elston, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG23 5NP |
3.6 miles |
|
The Claypole Church of England Primary School
School Lane, Claypole, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG23 5BQ |
3.69 miles |
|
Muskham Primary School
Main Street, North Muskham, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG23 6HD |
4.08 miles |
| Name | Distance |
|
Magnus Church of England Academy
Earp Avenue, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 4AB |
0.59 miles |
|
Newark Orchard School
London Road, Balderton, Newark, NG24 3AL |
0.86 miles |
|
The Newark Academy
London Road, Balderton, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 3AL |
0.92 miles |
|
Hope House School
Barnby Road, Balderton, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 3NE |
1.36 miles |
|
The Suthers School
Cross Lane, Fernwood, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 3NH |
1.86 miles |
All schools in Newark · Nottinghamshire local authority: places and applications
The Sir Donald Bailey Academy is part of The Forge Trust, which runs 8 schools. The nearest others:
- The Parkgate Academy Newark
- The Python Hill Academy Mansfield
- The Forest View Academy Newark
- Maun Infant and Nursery School Newark
- The Marton Academy Gainsborough
- The West Park Academy Nottingham
- The St Augustine's Academy Worksop
How many pupils does The Sir Donald Bailey Academy have?
The Sir Donald Bailey Academy has 507 pupils on roll.
What age range does The Sir Donald Bailey Academy cover?
The Sir Donald Bailey Academy for pupils aged 2 to 11.
What are The Sir Donald Bailey Academy's SATs (KS2) results?
In 2025, 75% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.
Where is The Sir Donald Bailey Academy?
The Sir Donald Bailey Academy is at Bailey Road, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 4EP.