Kids across the country are enjoying their last days of summer freedom, before they head back to school.
Many younger children will also be starting for the first time, at a brand new primary school. It’d only be natural for them and their parents to feel a little anxious about what will no doubt be a big change to their lives.
But in a region as vast as the East Midlands, much of the time there were multiple local schools to choose from - each with their own strengths and weaknesses - and families will no doubt be left wondering whether they have made the right choice for their child.
We’ve created a league table to highlight some of the region’s best state primary schools, based on two key metrics. The first is the percentage of its pupils who completed the national curriculum’s key stage 2 in the 2022/23 school year (the most recent data available), and met the expected standards for reading, writing and maths. We’ve selected only schools which surpassed both the national and local authority area’s averages, and had at least 85% of their pupils achieve the government-set target.
The next is schools rated as ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted - meaning the quality of education provided, student behaviour and attitudes, school leadership and management, and student safeguarding have all been found to be excellent.
Many smaller, local village and faith schools were able to prove just how brightly they shine. But even larger schools in centres like Nottingham and Derby, with more students from more diverse backgrounds to get across the goalpost, managed to earn themselves a spot.
Here were the East Midlands’ 22 ‘super schools’ that topped the list:
13. Booth Wood Primary School
Booth Wood is a primary school in Loughborough, Leicestershire. In the 2022/23 academic year, 88% of its pupils met the expected standards in reading, writing and maths, compared to an average of 62% locally and 60% nationally. | Google
14. Griffe Field Primary School
Griffe Field is a primary school in Derby. In the 2022/23 academic year, 88% of its pupils met the expected standards in reading, writing and maths, compared to an average of 54% locally and 60% nationally. | Google
15. Huntingdon Academy
Huntingdon Academy is a primary school in Nottingham. In the 2022/23 academic year, 88% of its pupils met the expected standards in reading, writing and maths, compared to an average of 58% locally and 60% nationally. | Google
16. Edna G. Olds Academy
This is another primary school in Nottingham. In the 2022/23 academic year, 87% of its pupils met the expected standards in reading, writing and maths, compared to an average of 58% locally and 60% nationally. | Google