The West Park Academy

The West Park Academy is a caring and inclusive school where pupils feel safe and valued. Leaders have embedded a broad and ambitious curriculum, and teaching is typically effective, with reading and phonics identified as particular strengths. Pupils achieve well from their starting points, especially in the early years, and most pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, make positive progress. Behaviour is calm and purposeful, and pastoral support is highly effective. The school is part of The Forge Trust and has recently undergone a significant change with the appointment of a new principal. The school meets the expected standard across all areas, and safeguarding standards are met.

Strengths

• Reading sits at the heart of the curriculum with high-quality texts and strong phonics teaching.
• Early years provision is highly effective, with a well-sequenced curriculum and strong transitions.
• Pupils with SEND receive tailored support and fully participate in school life, including through 'The hive'.
• Pastoral support is highly effective, with strong work with external agencies.
• Leaders prioritise staff wellbeing, and professional learning is a strength.
• Trustees provide effective support and challenge, knowing the school well.
• Behaviour is positive, and pupils feel safe and supported.
• The personal development programme prepares pupils well for life beyond school.

Areas for Improvement

• Attendance remains below national figures, particularly for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.
• Assessment and feedback practices are not fully consistent across all classes, leading to missed opportunities to address gaps in learning.
• Some pupils find it difficult to recall prior learning in depth.
• The impact of some strategies to support disadvantaged pupils is not evaluated closely enough.
• Pupils' understanding of different faiths and protected characteristics is not always secure in depth.

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 West Park Academy attended 94.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 15.7% 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, 2.2% of pupils at The West Park 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 West Park Academy had 18.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 30.8% 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, 15.4% of pupils at The West Park 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 The West Park Academy received £6,438 and spent £6,961 for each of its 249 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £74,000 (£297 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

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 West Park Academy is part of The Forge Trust, which runs 8 schools. The nearest others:

• The Python Hill Academy Mansfield
• Maun Infant and Nursery School Newark
• The Forest View Academy Newark
• The Parkgate Academy Newark
• The St Augustine's Academy Worksop
• The Sir Donald Bailey Academy Newark
• The Marton Academy Gainsborough

What is The West Park Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The West Park Academy is Expected standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was The West Park Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

The West Park Academy was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does The West Park Academy have?

The West Park Academy has 240 pupils on roll.

What age range does The West Park Academy cover?

The West Park Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are The West Park Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 68% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is The West Park Academy?

The West Park Academy is at Vernon Road, Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG17 8EE.