Charles Read Academy

Charles Read Academy, a small school within the David Ross Education Trust, was inspected in June 2026 and is judged to be performing at the expected standard across all areas, with safeguarding standards met. Pupils typically make positive progress from their starting points, and disadvantaged pupils achieve as well as other disadvantaged pupils nationally. The curriculum is well-structured and adapted to support all pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities, and pupils are generally well prepared for their next steps. The school has a strong sense of community, and pupils feel safe and supported.

Strengths

• Pupils typically make positive progress from their starting points, particularly disadvantaged pupils.
• The curriculum is well-structured and carefully adapted to support all pupils, including those with SEND.
• Leaders have an accurate understanding of the school's strengths and areas for improvement and have taken effective action.
• Trust leaders and governance provide effective support and challenge, ensuring decisions are in pupils' best interests.
• Staff feel well supported and proud to work at the school, with well-considered training.
• The personal development curriculum is well-planned, with a strong PSHE programme and extra-curricular offer.
• Pupils feel safe and know who to go to with concerns; bullying and discrimination are dealt with appropriately.
• The school has effective strategies to support reading and pupils with gaps in early learning.
• Pupils are increasingly ambitious about their next steps, with a strong careers programme and destinations above national averages.
• Leaders make effective use of additional funding and alternative provision to support vulnerable pupils.

Areas for Improvement

• Overall attendance is below the national average, and too many pupils regularly miss school, including disadvantaged pupils.
• Suspension rates are above national figures, and some pupils repeatedly do not meet the school's behaviour expectations.
• Assessment is not consistently used to check pupils' work during lessons, leading to gaps in learning not being addressed quickly.
• Some pupils with more complex needs find it hard to stay settled and access learning consistently.
• Some pupils do not fully appreciate how the wider curriculum contributes to their broader development and struggle to recall learning about British values, world cultures and religions.
• Recent results in English and maths GCSE and Attainment 8 have been lower than previous cohorts and below national averages.

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 Charles Read Academy attended 89.1% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 28.3% 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, 30.0% of pupils at Charles Read Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). One pupil was 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 Charles Read Academy had 14.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.7% 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, 41.2% of pupils at Charles Read Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 7.6% 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 Charles Read Academy received £10,112 and spent £11,717 for each of its 268 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £308,000 (-£1,150 per pupil).

Across all 36 schools of The David Ross Education Trust, income was £8,189 and spending £8,020 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 Grantham · Lincolnshire local authority: places and applications

Charles Read Academy is part of The David Ross Education Trust, which runs 36 schools. The nearest others:

• Ingoldsby Academy Grantham
• Thomas Middlecott Academy Boston
• Bringhurst Primary School Market Harborough
• Rockingham Primary School Corby
• Lodge Park Academy Corby
• The Barnes Wallis Academy Lincoln
• Charnwood College Loughborough
• Booth Wood Academy Loughborough
• Greenfields Primary School and Nursery Kettering
• The Eresby School, Spilsby Spilsby

What is Charles Read Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Charles Read Academy is Needs attention, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Charles Read Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Charles Read Academy was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Charles Read Academy have?

Charles Read Academy has 277 pupils on roll.

What age range does Charles Read Academy cover?

Charles Read Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Charles Read Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 38.4, and 25% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Charles Read Academy?

Charles Read Academy is at Bourne Road, Corby Glen, Grantham, Lincolnshire, NG33 4NT.