Aldercar Infant School

Aldercar Infant School is a happy, inclusive and nurturing school with a strong family feel. Inspectors found that pupils enjoy attending, behave well and are well supported pastorally, including through the on-site education resource facility for deaf and hearing-impaired children. The school has high expectations for all pupils, and disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND achieve well. Reading is a clear priority, the curriculum is ambitious and knowledge is carefully sequenced from the early years to Year 2, and children settle well into nursery and early years. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. The main area for improvement is that leaders have not yet fully checked the impact of recent curriculum changes. In a few subjects, teachers do not consistently adapt work well, which means some higher-attaining pupils do not always get opportunities to extend their thinking. This was the school's first section 5 inspection; it had previously been judged outstanding before becoming an academy, and under current arrangements no overall effectiveness grade was awarded. The school works well with its multi-academy trust and has clear leadership at all levels.

Strengths

• High-quality pastoral support and a strong, inclusive family ethos
• Pupils enjoy school, behave well and attend regularly
• Reading is prioritised, with consistent teaching and quick support for pupils who fall behind
• An ambitious curriculum with knowledge connected and revisited over time
• Strong support and achievement for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils
• Effective early years provision with good transition and tailored activities
• A well-developed personal development offer, including clubs, pupil leadership and the Hive
• Leaders, governors and the multi-academy trust work well together

Areas for Improvement

• Leaders have not yet fully checked the impact of recent curriculum changes
• In a few subjects, teachers do not consistently adapt work well
• Some higher-attaining pupils do not get enough opportunities to extend their thinking

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 Aldercar Infant School attended 94.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 16.1% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Aldercar Infant 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 Aldercar Infant School had 23.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 13.2% 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, 21.8% of pupils at Aldercar Infant School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.1% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has resourced provision with 4 pupils.

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 Aldercar Infant School received £9,201 and spent £8,742 for each of its 153 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £57,000 (£374 per pupil).

Across all 21 schools of Embark Multi Academy Trust, income was £8,703 and spending £7,965 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

Aldercar Infant School is part of Embark Multi Academy Trust, which runs 29 schools. The nearest others:

• Aldercar High School Nottingham
• Howitt Primary Community School Heanor
• Waingroves Primary School Ripley
• Richardson Endowed Primary School Ilkeston
• Ripley Junior School Ripley
• Riddings Junior School Alfreton
• Horsley Woodhouse Primary School Ilkeston
• Chaucer Junior School Ilkeston
• Kilburn Junior School Belper
• Chaucer Infant School Ilkeston

What is Aldercar Infant School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Aldercar Infant School is Good, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was Aldercar Infant School last inspected by Ofsted?

Aldercar Infant School was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Aldercar Infant School have?

Aldercar Infant School has 179 pupils on roll.

What age range does Aldercar Infant School cover?

Aldercar Infant School for pupils aged 2 to 7.

Where is Aldercar Infant School?

Aldercar Infant School is at Godkin Drive, Langley Mill, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG16 4GL.