St Swithun's Church of England Primary Academy
Grove Street, Retford, DN22 6LD
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- DIOCESE OF SOUTHWELL AND NOTTINGHAM MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Anna Martin
- Diocese
- Diocese of Southwell
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Diocese Of Southwell and Nottingham Multi-Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Bassetlaw
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 92
- URN
- 145447
- Local authority
- Nottinghamshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01777702043
About this school
St Swithun's Church of England Primary Academy is a Church of England primary academy in Retford. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 92 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St Swithun's Church of England Primary 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
Ofsted no longer gives schools a single overall grade. Each area of the school's work is graded on a five-point scale, and safeguarding is judged separately.
- Inclusion
- Needs attention
- Curriculum and teaching
- Needs attention
- Achievement
- Urgent improvement
- Attendance and behaviour
- Needs attention
- Personal development and wellbeing
- Needs attention
- Leadership and governance
- Needs attention
- Early years
- Needs attention
- Safeguarding
- Met
Ofsted placed the school in a category of concern: requires significant improvement.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 17 | 11 | 12 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 65% | 36% | 17% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 12% | 0% | 8% |
| Expected standard in reading | 71% | 55% | 50% |
| Expected standard in maths | 82% | 55% | 25% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 82% | 55% | 33% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 108.0 | 99.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 107.0 | 101.0 | 100.0 |
| Reading progress | +2.00 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +2.40 | - | - |
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 St Swithun's Church of England 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 | 65% | 58.5% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 36% | 59.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 17% | 61.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 12.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 8.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 117 |
| 2023/24 | 107 |
| 2024/25 | 90 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Swithun's Church of England Primary Academy compares
St Swithun's Church of England Primary Academy ranked 225th of 226 primary schools in Nottinghamshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 5% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 20% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 17% | 7.6% | 55.4% | 92 | — |
| Carr Hill Primary and Nursery School | 21% | 6.7% | 44.2% | 308 | 0.6 miles |
| St. Joseph's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy | 70% | 5.1% | 19.6% | 224 | 0.7 miles |
| Bracken Lane Primary Academy | 72% | 4.1% | 17.6% | 233 | 0.7 miles |
| Thrumpton Primary Academy | 61% | 6.3% | 36.2% | 223 | 0.7 miles |
| Ordsall Primary School | 58% | 6.5% | 34.3% | 576 | 0.9 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.
Inspection history
-
Graded inspection report13 January 2026
- 13 September 2022
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 55.42%
- English as an additional language
- 11.1%
- Overall absence
- 7.58%
- Persistent absence
- 24.39%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Carr Hill Primary and Nursery School0.6 miles
Primary · Retford
-
St. Joseph's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy0.7 miles
Primary · Retford
-
Bracken Lane Primary Academy0.7 miles
Primary · Retford
-
Thrumpton Primary Academy0.7 miles
Primary · Retford
-
Ordsall Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · Retford
Other schools in Retford
St Swithun's Church of England Primary Academy ranks 16th of the 16 ranked primary schools in Retford.
- 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
- Ranskill Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does St Swithun's Church of England Primary Academy teach?
- St Swithun's Church of England Primary Academy teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Retford.
- Who is the headteacher of St Swithun's Church of England Primary Academy?
- The headteacher of St Swithun's Church of England Primary Academy is Mrs Anna Martin, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St Swithun's Church of England Primary Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Swithun's Church of England 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 many pupils are at St Swithun's Church of England Primary Academy?
- St Swithun's Church of England Primary Academy has 92 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is St Swithun's Church of England Primary Academy full?
- St Swithun's Church of England Primary Academy has capacity for 210 pupils and 92 on roll (44%), 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 St Swithun's Church of England Primary Academy a faith school?
- Yes. St Swithun's Church of England Primary Academy is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Southwell.
- Does St Swithun's Church of England Primary Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Swithun's Church of England Primary Academy as having nursery classes.
- Is St Swithun's Church of England Primary Academy part of an academy trust?
- St Swithun's Church of England Primary Academy is part of DIOCESE OF SOUTHWELL AND NOTTINGHAM MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have St Swithun's Church of England Primary Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 65% in 2022/23 and 17% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St Swithun's Church of England Primary Academy compare with other schools in Nottinghamshire?
- St Swithun's Church of England Primary Academy ranked 225th of 226 primary schools in Nottinghamshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 5% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 20% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St Swithun's Church of England Primary Academy's absence rate?
- St Swithun's Church of England Primary Academy's overall absence rate is 7.6% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Swithun's Church of England Primary Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Swithun's Church of England 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.