Branston Community Academy

Branston Community Academy is a mixed secondary school with a sixth form. Most pupils enjoy attending, relationships between staff and pupils are strong, and clear routines have improved behaviour and reduced low-level disruption. Personal development and sixth-form provision are notable strengths: pupils benefit from a broad range of extra-curricular opportunities, a comprehensive careers programme, and strong sixth-form teaching that helps students achieve well and prepare for their next steps. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. The school is a single-academy trust, and the principal took up post in September 2024. However, pupils at the end of Year 11 have not achieved as well as they should over time. In some subjects, teachers do not consistently check pupils' understanding, so gaps and misconceptions are not addressed effectively. Support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is not thorough enough: needs are not routinely identified well, teaching is not consistently adapted, and too many pupils with SEND underachieve. The reading strategy is still in its infancy, which slows some pupils' progress in comprehension and vocabulary. Behaviour has improved, but a few pupils still behave poorly at unstructured times, derogatory language is sometimes heard, and some pupils are not confident that all staff deal with bullying well. Leaders and trustees are highly committed, and staff are positive about recent changes and the support they receive for their workload. However, quality assurance systems do not give leaders a clear picture of all aspects of the school's provision, so some improvement priorities are not identified well enough and progress on school improvement is less effective than it could be. Overall, the school has real strengths in personal development and sixth form, but it must improve SEND support, assessment and checking of understanding, consistency of behaviour, and quality assurance to raise outcomes for all pupils.

Strengths

• Strong relationships between staff and pupils.
• Clear classroom routines have improved behaviour and reduced low-level disruption.
• Most pupils say they feel safe at school.
• The curriculum is broad and ambitious, with essential knowledge sequenced in most subjects.
• Teachers demonstrate good subject knowledge.
• Sixth-form provision is strong, with students achieving well and being well prepared for next steps.
• Personal development is well planned, including PSHE, careers education and a wide range of extra-curricular activities.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• Leaders and trustees are highly committed to pupils.
• Staff are positive about recent changes and value support with workload.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils in Year 11 have not achieved as well as they should in public examinations over time.
• The school's approach to identifying and supporting pupils with SEND is not thorough or effective enough, so too many pupils with SEND underachieve.
• In some subjects, teachers do not consistently check pupils' understanding, so gaps and misconceptions are not addressed and progress is hindered.
• The reading strategy is in its infancy, slowing some pupils' development of comprehension and vocabulary.
• Behaviour sometimes falls short of the school's high expectations at unstructured times, including through derogatory language.
• A few pupils are not confident that all staff deal with bullying well.
• Quality assurance systems do not give leaders a clear picture of provision, so improvement priorities are not identified well enough.

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 Branston Community Academy attended 90.6% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 30.6% 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, 6.9% of pupils at Branston Community 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 Branston Community Academy had 16.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 6.2% 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, 10.0% of pupils at Branston Community Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.9% 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 Branston Community Academy received £8,803 and spent £8,460 for each of its 1,156 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,107,000 (£958 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

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What is Branston Community Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Branston Community Academy is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in May 2025.

When was Branston Community Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Branston Community Academy was last inspected in May 2025.

How many pupils does Branston Community Academy have?

Branston Community Academy has 1,132 pupils on roll.

What age range does Branston Community Academy cover?

Branston Community Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Branston Community Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 42.7, and 39% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Branston Community Academy?

Branston Community Academy is at Station Road, Branston, Lincoln, Lincolnshire, LN4 1LH.