The Sir Donald Bailey Academy
Bailey Road, Newark, NG24 4EP
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- THE FORGE TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Joanne Knapp
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- The Forge Trust
- Constituency
- Newark
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 585
- Pupils on roll
- 507
- URN
- 141760
- Local authority
- Nottinghamshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01636680142
About this school
The Sir Donald Bailey Academy is a primary academy in Newark. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 507 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school 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 21 June 2023, 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 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 72 | 74 | 55 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 71% | 76% | 75% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 4% | 1% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 72% | 77% | 76% |
| Expected standard in maths | 81% | 84% | 80% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 64% | 82% | 78% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 104.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 103.0 | 104.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | +4.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +4.50 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +3.10 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How The Sir Donald Bailey 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 | 71% | 58.5% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 76% | 59.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 75% | 61.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 547 |
| 2023/24 | 529 |
| 2024/25 | 523 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How The Sir Donald Bailey Academy compares
The Sir Donald Bailey Academy ranked 51st of 226 primary schools in Nottinghamshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 78% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 40% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 75% | 6% | 58.4% | 507 | — |
| The King's Church of England Primary Academy | 42% | 6.4% | 46.4% | 227 | 0.4 miles |
| Holy Trinity Catholic Voluntary Academy | 33% | 6% | 20.2% | 248 | 0.8 miles |
| John Hunt Academy | 45% | 4.3% | 33.4% | 350 | 0.9 miles |
| Christ Church C of E Primary School | 31% | 6.9% | 33.5% | 213 | 0.9 miles |
| Barnby Road Academy Primary and Nursery school | 62% | 5.1% | 30% | 593 | 1.0 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)
- 58.39%
- English as an additional language
- 14.1%
- Overall absence
- 5.99%
- Persistent absence
- 19.15%
Location
Nearby schools
-
The King's Church of England Primary Academy0.4 miles
Primary · Newark
-
Holy Trinity Catholic Voluntary Academy0.8 miles
Primary · Newark
-
John Hunt Academy0.9 miles
Primary · Newark
-
Christ Church C of E Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · Newark-on-Trent
-
Barnby Road Academy Primary and Nursery school1.0 miles
Primary · Newark
Other schools in Newark
The Sir Donald Bailey Academy ranks 4th of the 26 ranked primary schools in Newark.
- All Saints Anglican/Methodist Primary School Primary
- Barnby Road Academy Primary and Nursery school Primary
- Bilsthorpe Flying High Academy Primary
- Bishop Alexander L.E.A.D. Academy Primary
- Caunton Dean Hole CofE Primary School Primary
- Chuter Ede Primary School Primary
- Coddington CofE Primary and Nursery School Primary
- Dunham-on-Trent CofE Primary School Primary
- East Markham Primary School Primary
- Flintham Primary School Primary
- Halam Church of England Primary School Primary
- Holy Trinity Catholic Voluntary Academy Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does The Sir Donald Bailey Academy teach?
- The Sir Donald Bailey Academy teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Newark.
- Who is the headteacher of The Sir Donald Bailey Academy?
- The headteacher of The Sir Donald Bailey Academy is Mrs Joanne Knapp, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was The Sir Donald Bailey Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The Sir Donald Bailey 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 big is The Sir Donald Bailey Academy?
- The Sir Donald Bailey Academy has 507 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is The Sir Donald Bailey Academy full?
- The Sir Donald Bailey Academy has capacity for 585 pupils and 507 on roll (87%), 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 The Sir Donald Bailey Academy a faith school?
- No. The Sir Donald Bailey Academy has no designated religious character.
- Does The Sir Donald Bailey Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records The Sir Donald Bailey Academy as having nursery classes.
- Who runs The Sir Donald Bailey Academy?
- The Sir Donald Bailey Academy is part of THE FORGE TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have The Sir Donald Bailey Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 71% in 2022/23 and 75% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does The Sir Donald Bailey Academy rank locally?
- The Sir Donald Bailey Academy ranked 51st of 226 primary schools in Nottinghamshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 78% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 40% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is The Sir Donald Bailey Academy's absence rate?
- The Sir Donald Bailey Academy's overall absence rate is 6% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are The Sir Donald Bailey Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, The Sir Donald Bailey 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.