Hillocks Primary Academy

Hillocks Primary Academy requires improvement overall but displays notable strengths in promoting good behaviour and personal development among its students. The school, recently under the Diverse Academies Trust, has made significant strides since its previous inadequacy rating but still has work to do, particularly in improving the quality of education. Despite a caring and supportive atmosphere where children feel secure, pupils struggle to retain essential knowledge, which impacts their learning progression. The school's leadership is proactive and dedicated to continual improvement, but further enhancements in teaching practices are needed.

Strengths

• A warm and friendly environment where pupils feel safe and welcome.
• Good behaviour and positive attitudes among pupils.
• Strong personal development initiatives preparing pupils for life in their community.
• Well-catered support for students with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
• Staff are committed and enthusiastic about improving the school's quality of education.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils struggle to remember key knowledge and concepts long-term.
• Inconsistent approach to formative assessment, leading to misaligned work difficulty.
• Reading books for early learners are not always matched to their current phonics knowledge.
• The early years curriculum lacks a precise sequence, hindering knowledge and skill development.

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 Hillocks Primary Academy attended 92.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 20.1% 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, 6.1% of pupils at Hillocks Primary Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). 2 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 Hillocks Primary Academy had 19.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.0% 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, 31.4% of pupils at Hillocks Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.6% 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 Hillocks Primary Academy received £8,287 and spent £8,218 for each of its 281 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £54,000 (£193 per pupil).

Across all 14 schools of Diverse Academies Trust, income was £8,591 and spending £8,593 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 Sutton-In-Ashfield · Nottinghamshire local authority: places and applications

Hillocks Primary Academy is part of Diverse Academies Trust, which runs 16 schools. The nearest others:

• Redgate Primary Academy Mansfield
• Wainwright Primary Academy Mansfield
• Queen Elizabeth's Academy Mansfield
• Horizons Academy Mansfield
• Yeoman Park Academy Mansfield
• Samuel Barlow Primary Academy Mansfield
• The Holgate Academy Nottingham
• Thoresby Vale Primary Academy Mansfield
• Tuxford Primary Academy Newark
• Tuxford Academy Newark

What is Hillocks Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Hillocks Primary Academy is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in October 2023.

When was Hillocks Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Hillocks Primary Academy was last inspected in October 2023.

How many pupils does Hillocks Primary Academy have?

Hillocks Primary Academy has 271 pupils on roll.

What age range does Hillocks Primary Academy cover?

Hillocks Primary Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Hillocks Primary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 32% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Hillocks Primary Academy?

Hillocks Primary Academy is at Unwin Road, Sutton-in-Ashfield, NG17 4ND.