Retford Oaks Academy
Babworth Road, Retford, DN22 7NJ
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- DIVERSE ACADEMIES TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Heather Widdup
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Sponsor
- Diverse Academies Trust
- Constituency
- Bassetlaw
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,295
- Pupils on roll
- 1,080
- URN
- 137117
- Local authority
- Nottinghamshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01777861618
About this school
Retford Oaks Academy is a secondary academy in Retford. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,080 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Retford Oaks Academy, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 11 May 2022, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 188 | 203 | 192 |
| Attainment 8 score | 40.3 | 34.6 | 40.1 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.35 -0.55 to -0.14 | -0.52 -0.72 to -0.32 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 26% | 15.3% | 28.6% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 51% | 36.9% | 53.1% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 14% | 3% | 11.5% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.2 | 2.7 | 3.2 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Retford Oaks Academy has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Nottinghamshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 40.3 | 39.2 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 34.6 | 39.8 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 40.1 | 39.7 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 11.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 10.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 9.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,138 |
| 2023/24 | 1,149 |
| 2024/25 | 1,118 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Retford Oaks Academy compares
Retford Oaks Academy ranked 34th of 44 secondary schools in Nottinghamshire for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 39% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 9% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 40.1 | 9.7% | 32.5% | 1,080 | — |
| The Elizabethan Academy | 41.1 | 9.1% | 25.7% | 1,230 | 0.7 miles |
| Tuxford Academy | 46 | 9.1% | 21.9% | 1,462 | 6.8 miles |
| Outwood Academy Portland | 47.9 | 9.9% | 28.8% | 1,706 | 6.9 miles |
| Outwood Academy Valley | 50.4 | 8.5% | 22.6% | 1,721 | 7.1 miles |
| The Dukeries Academy | 34.8 | 10.2% | 42.3% | 709 | 7.9 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 32.5%
- English as an additional language
- 6.1%
- Overall absence
- 9.68%
- Persistent absence
- 29.32%
Location
Nearby schools
-
The Elizabethan Academy0.7 miles
Secondary · Retford
-
Tuxford Academy6.8 miles
Secondary · Newark
-
Outwood Academy Portland6.9 miles
Secondary · Worksop
-
Outwood Academy Valley7.1 miles
Secondary · Worksop
-
The Dukeries Academy7.9 miles
Secondary · Newark
Other schools in Retford
- The Elizabethan Academy Secondary
- Bracken Lane Primary Academy Primary
- Carr Hill Primary and Nursery School Primary
- Clarborough Primary School Primary
- Elkesley Primary and Nursery School Primary
- Gamston St Peter's CofE Primary School Primary
- Hallcroft Infant and Nursery School Primary
- Leverton Church of England Academy Primary
- North Wheatley Church of England Primary School Primary
- Ordsall Primary School Primary
- Rampton Primary School Primary
- Ranby CofE Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Retford Oaks Academy teach?
- Retford Oaks Academy teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Retford.
- Who is the headteacher of Retford Oaks Academy?
- The headteacher of Retford Oaks Academy is Mrs Heather Widdup, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Retford Oaks Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Retford Oaks Academy, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Retford Oaks Academy?
- Retford Oaks Academy has 1,080 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Retford Oaks Academy full?
- Retford Oaks Academy has capacity for 1,295 pupils and 1,080 on roll (83%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Retford Oaks Academy a faith school?
- No. Retford Oaks Academy has no designated religious character.
- Is Retford Oaks Academy a selective school?
- No. Retford Oaks Academy is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is Retford Oaks Academy part of an academy trust?
- Retford Oaks Academy is part of DIVERSE ACADEMIES TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Retford Oaks Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 40.3 in 2022/23 and 40.1 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Retford Oaks Academy compare with other schools in Nottinghamshire?
- Retford Oaks Academy ranked 34th of 44 secondary schools in Nottinghamshire for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 39% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 9% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Retford Oaks Academy's absence rate?
- Retford Oaks Academy's overall absence rate is 9.7% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Retford Oaks Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Retford Oaks Academy's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 1 July 2026.