Rivendell Flying High Academy

Rivendell Flying High Academy is an exceptionally strong primary school where pupils flourish in a calm, happy and highly respectful environment. This was its first routine inspection since opening in September 2023 as part of the Flying High Trust, and inspectors found outstanding provision across the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. Pupils benefit from a highly ambitious and engaging curriculum that often goes beyond national curriculum expectations, with reading prioritised from Nursery and phonics taught consistently. Teachers are subject experts, check understanding carefully and support pupils with SEND exceptionally well, so pupils achieve highly and are well prepared for the next stage. Personal development is central, with a wide range of enrichment and debating opportunities, and attendance is exceptionally high. Leadership is a notable strength: staff workload and wellbeing are managed well, parents are highly positive, and governors and trustees share leaders’ commitment. The report identifies no areas for improvement or concerns; strengths span all domains.

Strengths

• Exceptionally calm, happy and respectful school culture
• Highly ambitious, engaging curriculum that exceeds national expectations
• Reading prioritised from Nursery with consistent, effective phonics teaching
• Pupils achieve highly, including strong Year 1 phonics outcomes
• Expert teachers check understanding and address gaps quickly
• Effective SEND support leads to exceptional progress
• Personal development is central with rich enrichment opportunities
• Pupils develop mature understanding of safety, British values and debate
• Exceptionally high attendance
• Strong engagement with parents and carers
• Considered staff workload and wellbeing support
• Committed governors and trustees
• Effective safeguarding arrangements

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 Rivendell Flying High Academy attended 96.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 4.8% 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 Rivendell Flying High 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 Rivendell Flying High Academy had 20.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 11.1% 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, 13.8% of pupils at Rivendell Flying High Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.5% 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 Rivendell Flying High Academy received £7,551 and spent £6,914 for each of its 179 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £173,000 (£968 per pupil).

Across all 35 schools of Flying High Trust, income was £7,225 and spending £7,388 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

Rivendell Flying High Academy is part of Flying High Trust, which runs 38 schools. The nearest others:

• Haddon Primary and Nursery School Nottingham
• Stanhope Primary and Nursery School Nottingham
• Porchester Junior School Nottingham
• Blue Bell Hill Primary and Nursery School Nottingham
• Ernehale Infant School Nottingham
• Ernehale Junior School Nottingham
• Killisick Junior School Nottingham
• Edwalton Primary School Nottingham
• Cotgrave Candleby Lane School Nottingham
• Greythorn Primary School Nottingham

What is Rivendell Flying High Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Rivendell Flying High Academy is Outstanding, from an inspection in May 2025.

When was Rivendell Flying High Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Rivendell Flying High Academy was last inspected in May 2025.

How many pupils does Rivendell Flying High Academy have?

Rivendell Flying High Academy has 195 pupils on roll.

What age range does Rivendell Flying High Academy cover?

Rivendell Flying High Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Rivendell Flying High Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 71% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Rivendell Flying High Academy?

Rivendell Flying High Academy is at Magenta Way, Stoke Bardolph, Nottingham, NG14 5HH.