Nottingham Academy

Nottingham Academy is a very large all-through school in a deprived area of Nottingham, with 2,121 pupils and a high proportion eligible for free school meals. It is part of Greenwood Academy Trust. Inspectors found safeguarding standards met. Leaders have a strong understanding of the school's context, and the school is strongest in its early years and personal development, where children get a strong start and pupils are well prepared for life beyond school. Pupils are well known, behave well and feel safe; relationships with staff are strong, and the school is notably inclusive, especially for pupils who are new to English. Most other areas are judged to be at the expected standard. Pupils generally make secure progress from their starting points, and disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND often achieve in line with peers. Post-16 students receive good guidance and all progressed to education, employment or training last year. Attendance is broadly in line with national figures, and leaders' work on attendance has reduced persistent absenteeism. However, outcomes at the end of primary and secondary phases remain lower than national averages, and A-level value added and point scores are below national. Leaders have taken action, but some issues remain: the handwriting scheme has not been extended to key stage 2, not all support-plan strategies are consistently implemented, persistent absence is still above national, and teaching does not always consistently build the knowledge pupils need. The report identifies clear strengths alongside areas for continued refinement.

Strengths

• Early years provision gives children a strong start, with high-quality interactions and a well-designed curriculum.
• The personal development programme is well planned and prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain.
• Pupils are well known, staff are caring, and relationships between pupils and staff are strong.
• Pupils behave well, lessons are rarely disrupted, and bullying is rare.
• The school is inclusive and supports pupils new to English to integrate quickly and make progress.
• Disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND generally make appropriate progress from their starting points.
• Careers education and post-16 guidance are effective, with all students progressing to education, employment or training.
• Leadership is well informed, trust support is effective, and staff value professional development and wellbeing.

Areas for Improvement

• Outcomes at the end of the primary and secondary phases are lower than national averages.
• A-level value added and average point scores are below national averages.
• The handwriting scheme has not been embedded in key stage 2, so some pupils' handwriting skills are not secure.
• Not all strategies in pupils' support plans are consistently well implemented.
• Teaching does not always consistently build the knowledge and skills pupils need for successful outcomes.
• Persistent absence remains above the national average.
• Disadvantaged pupils' performance gaps remain, particularly in key stage 2 reading, writing and mathematics.

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 Nottingham Academy attended 90.8% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 28.6% 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, 11.6% of pupils at Nottingham Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 19 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 Nottingham Academy had 15.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 8.6% 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, 12.1% of pupils at Nottingham Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 1.8% 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 Nottingham Academy received £8,588 and spent £8,508 for each of its 2,108 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £718,000 (-£340 per pupil).

Across all 37 schools of Greenwood Academies Trust, income was £8,670 and spending £8,578 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 Nottingham · Nottingham local authority: places and applications

Nottingham Academy is part of Greenwood Academies Trust, which runs 38 schools. The nearest others:

• The Wells Academy Nottingham
• Nottingham Girls' Academy Nottingham
• Nethergate Academy Nottingham
• Mansfield Primary Academy Mansfield
• The Brunts Academy Mansfield
• Skegby Junior Academy Sutton-In-Ashfield
• The Bramble Academy Mansfield
• Queensmead Primary Academy Leicester
• Studfall Infant Academy Corby
• Studfall Junior Academy Corby

What is Nottingham Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Nottingham Academy is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Nottingham Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Nottingham Academy was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Nottingham Academy have?

Nottingham Academy has 1,947 pupils on roll.

What age range does Nottingham Academy cover?

Nottingham Academy for pupils aged 3 to 19.

What are Nottingham Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 39.9, and 30% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

What are Nottingham Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 47% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Nottingham Academy?

Nottingham Academy is at GREENWOOD ROAD, BAKERSFIELD, NOTTINGHAM, NOTTINGHAMSHIRE, NG3 7EB.