School Context Comparator

Exam results say a lot about a school's pupils, not just its teaching. A school where many children are disadvantaged or have special educational needs will usually have lower results, even if it's doing a great job. This compares each school with what you'd expect from the pupils it teaches.

Primary and junior schools in Nottingham: SATs results in context

% meeting the expected standard, average of the three years to 2024/25. Each numbered dot is a school (see the table below). Above the line means better results than you'd expect from its pupils; the shaded strip is "about what you'd expect".

  • Better than expected
  • About as expected
  • Below expected

The faint grey dots behind are every other school in England, for comparison.

Outlined in black: the school you compared (marked "Compared" in the table).

Green ring: low teacher turnover – among the quarter of similar schools in England where teachers are most likely to stay (three-year average).

3030404050506060707080809090100100Better than expectedBelow expectedExpected % (from the school's pupils)Actual % meeting the expected standard123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172
3030404050506060707080809090100100Better than expectedBelow expectedExpected %Actual % meeting the expected standard123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172

Loading stats for 13,485 schools across England…

Did you know? In a class of 30, one child moves a school's SATs percentage by more than 3 points - which is why we use a three-year average. How this works

How each school compares

# School Compared with what you'd expect Actual Expected Gap Disadvantaged SEN EAL Pupils(3 years) Teacher turnover(a year)
1 St Teresa's Catholic Primary School Well above 92% 65% +27.4 18% 30% 37% 180 23%high
2 Huntingdon Academy Well above 84% 59% +24.7 53% 17% 36% 172 19%above average
3 Blue Bell Hill Primary and Nursery School Well above 77% 54% +23.0 61% 32% 39% 175 19%above average
4 Edna G. Olds Academy Well above 87% 64% +22.7 45% 7% 45% 87 26%high
5 Welbeck Primary School Well above 85% 69% +16.3 30% 11% 70% 131 13%below average
6 Westglade Primary School Well above 68% 54% +14.2 63% 20% 3% 90 15%above average
7 Jubilee L.E.A.D. Academy Well above 66% 53% +13.1 59% 38% 38% 155 22%high
8 Haydn Primary School Well above 79% 66% +13.0 18% 20% 23% 180 7%low
9 South Wilford Endowed CofE Primary School Well above 83% 70% +12.7 15% 3% 15% 176 9%low
10 Sneinton St Stephen's CofE Primary School Well above 78% 66% +12.3 34% 10% 38% 89 9%low
11 Windmill L.E.A.D. Academy Above 65% 55% +10.3 61% 33% 52% 163 12%below average
12 William Booth Primary and Nursery School Above 63% 54% +9.4 71% 25% 43% 88 14%
13 Rise Park Primary and Nursery School Above 70% 62% +7.9 39% 16% 25% 181 10%below average
14 Mellers Primary School Above 67% 60% +7.0 53% 20% 55% 171 17%above average
15 St Mary's Catholic Primary School Compared Above 70% 63% +7.0 53% 13% 73% 88 5%low
16 Dunkirk Primary and Nursery School Above 72% 66% +6.1 47% 7% 73% 140 5%low
17 Southglade Primary and Nursery School Above 64% 59% +5.3 53% 20% 37% 177 3%low
18 Glenbrook Spencer Academy Above 59% 54% +4.8 61% 25% 19% 175 14%below average
19 St Ann's Well Academy As expected 59% 54% +4.7 61% 32% 43% 88 19%above average
20 The Glapton Academy Above 64% 59% +4.7 33% 30% 13% 160 30%high
21 Hogarth Academy As expected 62% 57% +4.6 52% 23% 26% 92 21%
22 Portland Spencer Academy As expected 63% 59% +4.3 40% 30% 28% 176 17%above average
23 Whitegate Primary and Nursery School As expected 65% 61% +3.9 49% 7% 14% 178 10%below average
24 St Patrick's Catholic Primary and Nursery School As expected 70% 67% +3.3 34% 3% 28% 94 21%
25 Djanogly Northgate Academy As expected 64% 61% +3.2 50% 17% 46% 169 21%high
26 Ambleside Primary School As expected 54% 51% +2.6 64% 36% 26% 265 16%above average
27 The Milford Academy As expected 64% 62% +2.3 41% 12% 12% 179 11%below average
28 Radford Primary School Academy As expected 67% 65% +2.1 43% 7% 46% 85 8%
29 Robin Hood Primary School As expected 62% 60% +2.1 45% 17% 18% 180 2%low
30 Blessed Robert Widmerpool Catholic Primary and Nursery School As expected 73% 72% +1.2 16% 9% 59% 96 15%
31 Melbury Primary School As expected 62% 61% +1.2 50% 13% 33% 91 20%high
32 Highbank Primary and Nursery School As expected 63% 62% +0.7 50% 0% 10% 113 23%high
33 Djanogly Sherwood Academy As expected 61% 60% +0.6 54% 13% 41% 113 19%above average
34 Fernwood Primary School As expected 69% 69% +0.4 13% 16% 29% 450 5%low
35 Burford Primary and Nursery School As expected 53% 53% −0.1 63% 27% 17% 90 27%high
36 Walter Halls Primary and Early Years School As expected 59% 59% −0.2 41% 29% 35% 167 13%below average
37 Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Catholic Primary School As expected 68% 69% −0.5 19% 16% 47% 93 3%low
38 Stanstead Flying High Academy As expected 57% 58% −1.4 46% 18% 4% 77 25%
39 Greenfields Community School As expected 55% 57% −2.1 55% 28% 48% 87 12%below average
40 Rufford Primary and Nursery School As expected 52% 55% −2.9 51% 32% 19% 155 9%low
41 Crabtree Farm Primary School As expected 55% 58% −3.1 55% 16% 22% 167 9%low
42 Hempshill Hall Primary School As expected 60% 63% −3.2 34% 15% 20% 173 13%below average
43 Rosslyn Park Primary and Nursery School As expected 52% 55% −3.4 72% 15% 38% 262 10%below average
44 Edale Rise Primary & Nursery School As expected 60% 64% −4.1 41% 17% 62% 82 8%low
45 Old Basford School As expected 55% 59% −4.2 50% 16% 21% 184 12%below average
46 Springfield Academy As expected 50% 54% −4.2 66% 21% 21% 80 29%high
47 St Margaret Clitherow Catholic Primary School As expected 63% 67% −4.4 29% 13% 55% 87 6%
48 Firbeck Academy As expected 56% 61% −4.5 52% 14% 38% 79 52%
49 Southwark Primary School Below 56% 61% −5.0 51% 9% 25% 259 10%below average
50 Berridge Primary and Nursery School Below 59% 64% −5.1 45% 17% 76% 259 12%below average
51 Bulwell St Mary's Primary and Nursery School Below 51% 56% −5.1 59% 21% 24% 89 27%
52 Seely Primary School Below 55% 60% −5.3 31% 31% 24% 218 14%above average
53 Sycamore Academy Below 55% 61% −5.6 57% 17% 66% 162 20%high
54 Glade Hill Primary & Nursery School Below 45% 51% −6.2 48% 48% 12% 176 13%below average
55 Bluecoat Primary Academy Below 55% 62% −6.7 44% 13% 26% 182 25%high
56 Henry Whipple Primary School Below 55% 62% −6.9 52% 11% 48% 84 15%above average
57 Scotholme Primary and Nursery School Below 59% 66% −7.2 28% 24% 72% 170 8%low
58 Djanogly Strelley Academy Below 45% 52% −7.4 67% 29% 26% 175 13%below average
59 Middleton Primary and Nursery School Below 60% 68% −8.1 21% 16% 48% 213 5%low
60 Carrington Primary and Nursery School Below 57% 66% −9.1 24% 17% 34% 89 19%
61 Heathfield Primary and Nursery School Below 50% 60% −9.5 48% 16% 18% 280 4%low
62 Whitemoor Academy (Primary and Nursery) Well below 51% 63% −12.0 37% 19% 41% 175 17%above average
63 Claremont Primary and Nursery School Well below 52% 64% −12.3 37% 16% 49% 170 15%above average
64 Victoria Primary School Well below 44% 57% −12.8 42% 40% 42% 152 24%high
65 Nottingham Academy Well below 50% 64% −13.7 43% 14% 53% 322 17%above average
66 Dovecote Primary and Nursery School Well below 42% 56% −14.0 52% 27% 21% 164 27%high
67 Southwold Primary School and Early Years' Centre Well below 50% 65% −14.8 38% 14% 52% 86 16%
68 Brocklewood Primary and Nursery School Well below 42% 59% −16.9 48% 23% 34% 213 22%high
69 Forest Fields Primary and Nursery School Well below 47% 65% −17.8 40% 23% 89% 240 19%above average
70 Our Lady & St Edward Primary & Nursery Catholic Voluntary Academy Well below 52% 71% −18.6 26% 3% 55% 95 7%low
71 St Augustine's Catholic Primary and Nursery School, A Voluntary Academy Well below 39% 60% −20.9 39% 32% 48% 133 26%high
72 Robert Shaw Primary and Nursery School Well below 50% 71% −21.4 22% 12% 83% 180 4%low

Results are the average of the last three Year 6 groups, which is steadier than a single year. Pupil percentages are for the latest Year 6. Disadvantaged: eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years, or looked after by the council. SEN: special educational needs (SEN support or an EHC plan). EAL: English as an additional language.

How this works

We looked at every comparable state primary and junior school in England (14,315 schools) to see how SATs results usually change with the make-up of a year group. On average:

  • For every 10 more disadvantaged pupils in every 100, the share meeting the expected standard is about 2.4 percentage points lower.
  • For every 10 more pupils with SEN in every 100, it's about 2.4 percentage points lower.
  • For every 10 more pupils with English as an additional language in every 100, it's about 0.7 percentage points higher. Pupils learning English often catch up quickly.

From those, each school gets an expected result for its own pupils, which we compare with its actual result. Primary year groups are small – in a class of 30, one child moves the percentage by more than 3 points – so we use the three-year average and allow for each school's own pupil numbers: a small school needs a bigger gap before we call it above or below what you'd expect.

What we found: schools where teachers stay

We put every primary and junior school's result-against-expected next to its teacher turnover – the share of its teachers who moved to another school or left state schools each year, averaged over three years (DfE school workforce census). Across 8,274 schools in England, split into four equal groups by turnover:

Teacher turnoverTypical turnoverResults vs expectedDid better than expected
Lowest turnover 7% a year +1.8 pts 40%
Lower-middle 12% a year +1.2 pts 37%
Upper-middle 17% a year +0.7 pts 36%
Highest turnover 26% a year −1.2 pts 32%

The pattern is the same as for secondary schools but weaker, and most of the difference is in the quarter of schools where teachers leave most often (−1.2 percentage points, against +1.8 for the lowest-turnover quarter). Primary staffs are small and SATs results move around from year to year, which blurs the picture.

A link isn't proof that one causes the other: losing teachers may hold results back, and a school that's struggling for other reasons (leadership, for example) may also lose more teachers. Nationally, turnover is fairly steady from year to year and teachers who move are replaced – but between schools it varies a lot, from under one teacher in ten a year to more than one in five. The green rings on the chart mark the lowest-turnover quarter.

What it can't tell you

  • These three things explain only about 18% of the differences between schools. Much of what makes a school stronger or weaker, and much about its pupils, isn't captured by any published figure.
  • Even averaged over three years, small schools' results move around a lot, so treat close calls as roughly equal.
  • It isn't an excuse for lower results. It shows how a school does compared with schools teaching similar pupils, so you can compare more fairly.
  • We deliberately don't adjust for attendance or exclusions: those are partly down to the school itself.

Source: Department for Education, Key Stage 2 performance data (2024/25). Calculated by The School Companion.