The Carlton Junior Academy

The Carlton Junior Academy is a caring and supportive junior school within Redhill Academy Trust. Inspected in November 2024, it was judged good for quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, and leadership and management, and outstanding for personal development; under current inspection arrangements, no overall effectiveness grade is given. Pupils feel safe, behave well and achieve well across a wide range of subjects. The school has an ambitious curriculum, strong reading provision, effective support for pupils with SEND, and exceptionally well-planned wider development that prepares pupils well for their next steps. Safeguarding is effective, staff are proud to work at the school, and trust leaders and governors know the school well and provide effective support and challenge. The main area for improvement is that some learning activities are not well matched to the intended learning, which means some pupils do not build securely on their previous learning. Beyond this, the report is strongly positive about the school’s provision and outcomes.

Strengths

• Ambitious curriculum that clearly sets out the knowledge pupils should learn and when
• Teachers have secure subject knowledge and explain new ideas clearly
• Effective questioning checks understanding and helps address misconceptions
• Strong reading provision with daily support for pupils who need extra help
• Accurate identification of SEND and effective support so pupils with SEND learn well
• Clear routines and highly positive attitudes to learning
• Effective support for pupils who need to improve attendance
• Exceptionally well-planned wider development underpinned by the vision ‘we grow greatness’
• Rich trips, clubs and responsibilities that develop pupils’ talents and character
• Pupils are exceptionally well prepared for their next steps
• Well led and managed, with staff proud to work at the school
• Trust leaders and governors provide effective support and challenge
• Effective safeguarding arrangements

Areas for Improvement

• Some learning activities are not well matched to the intended learning, so some pupils do not build securely on prior knowledge

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 Carlton Junior Academy attended 94.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 16.0% 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, 2.5% of pupils at The Carlton Junior 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 Carlton Junior Academy had 19.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 18.5% 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, 15.6% of pupils at The Carlton Junior Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.6% 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 Carlton Junior Academy received £9,645 and spent £9,778 for each of its 241 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £10,000 (£43 per pupil).

Across all 19 schools of Redhill Academy Trust, income was £7,880 and spending £7,947 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 Carlton Junior Academy is part of Redhill Academy Trust, which runs 21 schools. The nearest others:

• The Carlton Infant Academy Nottingham
• Carlton Academy Nottingham
• Robert Mellors Primary Academy Nottingham
• South Nottinghamshire Academy Nottingham
• Redhill Academy Nottingham
• The Oakwood Academy Nottingham
• Park Vale Academy Nottingham
• Colonel Frank Seely Academy Nottingham
• Hall Park Academy Nottingham
• Farmilo Primary School and Nursery Mansfield

What is The Carlton Junior Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Carlton Junior Academy is Good, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was The Carlton Junior Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

The Carlton Junior Academy was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does The Carlton Junior Academy have?

The Carlton Junior Academy has 224 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Carlton Junior Academy cover?

The Carlton Junior Academy for pupils aged 7 to 11.

What are The Carlton Junior Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 78% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is The Carlton Junior Academy?

The Carlton Junior Academy is at Garden Avenue, Foxhill Road, Carlton, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG4 1QT.