New Line Learning Academy

New Line Learning Academy is a caring and inclusive school where pupils behave well and relationships between staff and pupils are very positive. Leaders have recently redesigned the curriculum so that it is logically ordered and identifies the key knowledge pupils need, and the school's personal development, behaviour and leadership work are notable strengths. Safeguarding is effective. This was the school's first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and the head of school and all other senior leaders are new in post since the previous inspection. The main area for improvement is the quality of education. Although the curriculum is now well planned, teaching is inconsistent, and in weaker lessons learning does not match the curriculum's intent. As a result, too many pupils do not secure and remember important subject content and do not achieve as well as they should. A significant minority of pupils also attend too irregularly and miss vital learning, while careers education does not meet provider access legislation because the school does not check pupils' participation closely enough. Leaders, governors and trustees share a clear understanding of priorities, and staff feel supported with workload and well-being. The school is highly inclusive, and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well understood and thoughtfully supported. Overall, the school has credible capacity to improve, but it needs to act quickly on curriculum implementation, attendance and careers compliance.

Strengths

• Curriculum is now logically ordered and precisely identifies the key knowledge pupils need
• Clear behaviour expectations help pupils behave well in lessons and at social times
• Relationships between staff and pupils are very positive
• Pupils feel valued, well known and supported as individuals
• The school is highly inclusive and supports pupils with SEND thoughtfully
• Personal development is a priority, with coordinated teaching on safety, respect, equality and diversity
• Pathways sessions and trips broaden pupils' cultural capital and experiences
• Careers education is frequent and helps pupils understand their next-step choices
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective
• New senior leaders, governors and trustees share clear improvement priorities
• Staff are proud to work at the school and feel supported with workload and well-being
• New pupils feel welcome and settle quickly

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum implementation is inconsistent in some subjects and does not always match curriculum intent
• Too many pupils do not achieve as well as they should because they do not secure important knowledge over time
• A significant minority of pupils do not attend school regularly enough and miss vital learning
• Careers participation is not checked closely enough, so the school does not meet provider access legislation requirements
• Some pupils are at risk of not receiving the required encounters with apprenticeship and technical education providers

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at New Line Learning Academy attended 86.9% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 39.1% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 9.5% of pupils at New Line Learning Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 New Line Learning Academy had 14.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 7.5% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 18.9% of pupils at New Line Learning Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 5.0% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 New Line Learning Academy received £9,717 and spent £9,176 for each of its 820 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £558,000 (£681 per pupil).

Across all 3 schools of Future Schools Trust, income was £8,520 and spending £8,394 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Maidstone · Kent local authority: places and applications

New Line Learning Academy is part of Future Schools Trust, which runs 3 schools. The nearest others:

• Tiger Primary School Maidstone
• Cornwallis Academy Maidstone

What is New Line Learning Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for New Line Learning Academy is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in June 2025.

When was New Line Learning Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

New Line Learning Academy was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does New Line Learning Academy have?

New Line Learning Academy has 826 pupils on roll.

What age range does New Line Learning Academy cover?

New Line Learning Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are New Line Learning Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 29.2, and 14% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is New Line Learning Academy?

New Line Learning Academy is at Boughton Lane, Maidstone, Kent, ME15 9QL.