The Green Flying High Academy Review 2026: Outstanding infant education with high expectations in South Normanton

As an infant school, there is no Key Stage 2 SATs headline here, and does not provide published attainment metrics for the school’s phase. That means a parent-facing judgement on outcomes has to lean on the strongest available official evidence, which in this case is the 2024 inspection profile.

The latest inspection reports Outstanding judgements across the full set of graded areas for primary schools, including early years provision. For parents, the implication is less about a single data point and more about the breadth of strength: curriculum quality, behaviour, and leadership all aligning, rather than excellence in only one domain.

If you are comparing local schools on hard performance indicators, use FindMySchool’s Local Hub comparison tools to line up nearby options consistently. Infant schools can be tricky to compare through exam data alone, so a structured shortlist helps.

The 2024 Ofsted report paints a picture of teaching that is deliberate and carefully sequenced, with strong day-to-day execution rather than occasional peaks. In a 4 to 7 setting, the practical “so what” is phonics, early reading, number sense, language development, and the habits that make later junior school learning smoother.

Curriculum documentation by subject, signalling an intent to make sequencing and knowledge progression transparent to families. That matters because it usually correlates with staff planning from shared materials and agreed endpoints, which reduces variability between classes.

Early years being judged Outstanding is also significant. In Reception, the floor is not just “school readiness”; it is attention, talk, listening, early literacy and numeracy, and the confidence to try, fail, and try again.

Because the school ends at age 7, the key destination question is transition into a junior school for Year 3. The school’s admissions and information pages sit within Derbyshire’s system and point families towards local authority processes and catchment thinking.

In practical terms, families considering The Green should also research likely junior transfer routes early, as different local areas handle infant to junior patterns differently. Ask directly about how transition support is handled, what information is shared with the receiving junior school, and how the school supports pupils who find change difficult.

Applications for state-funded Reception entry run through the Derbyshire coordinated process. The school’s admissions page states that for September 2026 to 2027 entry, the application round opens on 4 November 2025 and closes on 15 January 2026, with offers on 16 April 2026 (National Offer Day).

Oversubscription is not theoretical. The figures indicate 77 applications for 42 Reception offers, which is around 1.83 applications per place. That is competitive for an infant school and suggests families should treat the process as one where preference strategy and realistic alternatives matter.

The school also publishes admissions criteria documentation for 2026 to 2027, which sets out priority order, including children with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the school, looked-after children, and other criteria typical of maintained admissions arrangements.

A practical tip: if you are trying to understand how realistic your chances are in an oversubscribed context, FindMySchool’s Map Search is useful for checking your exact home-to-school distance against local patterns, even when the school does not publish a “furthest distance at which a place was offered” figure for the relevant year.

Infant schools live or die by everyday wellbeing: separation at the gate, friendships, confidence, routines, and how adults respond to emotions. The strongest available evidence here is the 2024 inspection profile, which judged behaviour and attitudes and personal development as Outstanding.

SEN leadership is explicitly identified on the school site, with the Deputy Head also named as SENCO. For families of children with additional needs, that matters, because it typically means high visibility of SEND decision-making and faster feedback loops between classroom and support planning.

Safeguarding is a central parent concern. The inspection documentation is the right place to anchor your understanding of safeguarding culture and practice.

At infant age, enrichment should be specific and manageable, not a long menu that only a few access. A clear after-school clubs schedule including Art Club, Choir, Lego Club, Number Blocks and Alpha Blocks, and French Club, plus options such as Reading Club and Phonics, Gym Kids, and Multisports.

The “why it matters” here is not the club list itself. It is what those clubs reinforce: early language through choir and French, structured play and problem-solving through Lego, early maths and literacy reinforcement through number and phonics-focused clubs, and confidence and coordination through sport and Gym Kids.

The school day information published by the school sets out key timings, including gates opening at 8.30am and a 3.15pm finish. These details matter for working families and for childcare handovers.

Wraparound care is provided on-site through a named provider, offering breakfast and after-school club provision. If you rely on wraparound, check current session times, booking approach, and what happens on INSET days and school closure days, as these operational details often determine whether the arrangement works in real life.

Transport-wise, this is a local infant setting where walking distance and drop-off routines matter more than rail links. The school’s day guidance references drop-off via New Street or Hilcote Street entrances. If you are driving, ask how traffic is managed at peak times and whether staggered drop-off is ever used.

• Age range is short. With provision ending at age 7, families need a clear plan for Year 3 transition and should evaluate junior school options in parallel with the Reception application.

• Entry can be competitive. The supplied admissions data indicates more applicants than offers for Reception entry, so treat the application as a choice that needs sensible backups.

• Strong structure can feel intense for some children. High consistency and careful use of time suit many pupils, particularly those who like routine, but children who need a slower start may benefit from careful settling-in conversations with staff.

• Wraparound logistics matter. On-site childcare is a real advantage, but its value depends on session times, availability, and how it aligns with your working day.

A high-performing infant school with clear leadership and an Outstanding 2024 inspection profile across every graded area. It suits families who want a tightly organised start to primary education, with structured teaching and strong expectations from Reception onwards. The main challenge is admission competition, and because the age range ends at 7, families should shortlist junior school pathways at the same time as applying.