Bracken Lane Primary Academy
Bracken Lane, Retford, DN22 7EU
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- DIVERSE ACADEMIES TRUST
- Head Teacher
- Ms Lucy Spacey
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Diverse Academies Trust
- Constituency
- Bassetlaw
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 233
- URN
- 144526
- Local authority
- Nottinghamshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01777705017
About this school
Bracken Lane Primary Academy is a primary academy in Retford. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 233 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 1 December 2021, 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 | 30 | 30 | 29 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 77% | 70% | 72% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 3% | 14% |
| Expected standard in reading | 87% | 77% | 86% |
| Expected standard in maths | 87% | 83% | 86% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 70% | 70% | 72% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 108.0 | 105.0 | 107.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 104.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.40 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -1.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.00 | - | - |
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 Bracken Lane Primary 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 | 77% | 58.5% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 70% | 59.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 72% | 61.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 236 |
| 2023/24 | 240 |
| 2024/25 | 231 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Bracken Lane Primary Academy compares
Bracken Lane Primary Academy ranked 64th of 226 primary schools in Nottinghamshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 71% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 83% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 72% | 4.1% | 17.6% | 233 | — |
| Thrumpton Primary Academy | 61% | 6.3% | 36.2% | 223 | 0.4 miles |
| St Swithun's Church of England Primary Academy | 17% | 7.6% | 55.4% | 92 | 0.7 miles |
| Ordsall Primary School | 58% | 6.5% | 34.3% | 576 | 0.9 miles |
| St. Joseph's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy | 70% | 5.1% | 19.6% | 224 | 1.2 miles |
| Carr Hill Primary and Nursery School | 21% | 6.7% | 44.2% | 308 | 1.3 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)
- 17.59%
- English as an additional language
- 3.9%
- Overall absence
- 4.06%
- Persistent absence
- 7.3%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Thrumpton Primary Academy0.4 miles
Primary · Retford
-
St Swithun's Church of England Primary Academy0.7 miles
Primary · Retford
-
Ordsall Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · Retford
-
St. Joseph's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy1.2 miles
Primary · Retford
-
Carr Hill Primary and Nursery School1.3 miles
Primary · Retford
Other schools in Retford
Bracken Lane Primary Academy ranks 4th of the 16 ranked primary schools in Retford.
- 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
- Ranskill Primary School Primary
- St Swithun's Church of England Primary Academy Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Bracken Lane Primary Academy teach?
- Bracken Lane Primary Academy teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Retford.
- Who is the head teacher of Bracken Lane Primary Academy?
- The head teacher of Bracken Lane Primary Academy is Ms Lucy Spacey, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Bracken Lane Primary Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Bracken Lane Primary 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 Bracken Lane Primary Academy?
- Bracken Lane Primary Academy has 233 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Bracken Lane Primary Academy full?
- Bracken Lane Primary Academy has capacity for 210 pupils and 233 on roll (111%), so it is at or above 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 Bracken Lane Primary Academy a faith school?
- No. Bracken Lane Primary Academy has no designated religious character.
- Does Bracken Lane Primary Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Bracken Lane Primary Academy as having nursery classes.
- Who runs Bracken Lane Primary Academy?
- Bracken Lane Primary 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 Bracken Lane Primary Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 77% in 2022/23 and 72% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Bracken Lane Primary Academy rank locally?
- Bracken Lane Primary Academy ranked 64th of 226 primary schools in Nottinghamshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 71% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 83% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Bracken Lane Primary Academy's absence rate?
- Bracken Lane Primary Academy's overall absence rate is 4.1% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Bracken Lane Primary Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Bracken Lane Primary 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 10 July 2026.