Aston Academy

Aston Academy is a large secondary school within Aston Community Education Trust. This full inspection found safeguarding standards met and the school generally performing as expected across achievement, attendance and behaviour, leadership and governance, personal development, and post-16 provision. Pupils achieve broadly in line with national peers, KS4 attainment has improved over three years, the disadvantaged attainment gap is closing, attendance is now similar to the national average, and pupils generally behave well. There are notable strengths: pupils feel safe and bullying is rare; pastoral support is strong; personal development, careers education and extra-curricular opportunities are well planned; trust governance and staff training are effective; and leaders have secured rapid improvement since the last inspection. Sixth-form students are generally well prepared for their next steps. However, curriculum and teaching and inclusion need attention. Teaching is variable, teachers sometimes miss checks on understanding, and they do not consistently adapt learning for pupils with SEND or other barriers, so some pupils do not access the curriculum as well as they could. Leaders also do not always track the impact of their actions closely enough. The next steps focus on consistently effective teaching, better adaptation for additional needs, and closer monitoring of improvement.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture where concerns are actively identified and managed.
• Pupils feel safe and report that bullying is rare and well dealt with.
• Behaviour is generally good in lessons, and suspensions have reduced over time.
• Attendance has steadily improved and is now similar to the national average.
• Pupils achieve in line with national peers across all phases, with KS4 attainment improving over three years.
• The achievement gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils is closing.
• Pupils with SEND generally make suitable progress from their starting points.
• Leaders have brought about rapid improvement in several key areas since the last inspection.
• Trust governance provides effective support and challenge, keeping strategic direction focused on pupils.
• Staff benefit from high-quality professional learning, and leaders are thoughtful about workload and wellbeing.
• The personal development programme is thoughtfully sequenced and covers statutory requirements, including healthy relationships and online safety.
• Pastoral support is a strength, with clear self-referral processes and quick action when pupils need more help.
• A wide range of trips, clubs and careers activities helps pupils explore interests and plan next steps.
• Pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, are well prepared for destinations after school.
• Post-16 provision is appropriate and well sequenced, with good guidance for university and career progression.
• Effective reading and mathematics support helps pupils close gaps in basic skills.
• Alternative provision and the Year 7 nurture class provide effective support for pupils who need it.

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum and teaching require attention because teachers do not always use the most effective methods.
• Teachers sometimes miss opportunities to check how well pupils understand a topic.
• Teaching is not consistently adapted for pupils with SEND or other barriers to learning.
• Some pupils with additional needs do not get the in-class support they need to access the curriculum and achieve as well as they could.
• Teachers do not always receive clear advice about effective strategies for supporting pupils with additional needs.
• Leaders do not always thoroughly track the impact of their actions to ensure they lead to intended improvements.

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 Aston Academy attended 91.0% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 26.0% 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, 10.7% of pupils at Aston Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 3 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 Aston Academy had 16.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.6% 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, 16.5% of pupils at Aston Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.7% 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 Aston Academy received £7,679 and spent £7,724 for each of its 1,516 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £133,000 (£88 per pupil).

Across all 12 schools of Aston Community Education Trust, income was £7,762 and spending £7,726 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 Sheffield · Rotherham local authority: places and applications

Aston Academy is part of Aston Community Education Trust, which runs 12 schools. The nearest others:

• Aughton Primary Academy Sheffield
• Springwood Primary Academy Sheffield
• Waverley Primary Academy Rotherham
• Thurcroft Junior Academy Rotherham
• Listerdale Primary Academy Rotherham
• Lowedges Primary Academy Sheffield
• Swinton Academy Mexborough
• Brookfield Primary Academy Mexborough
• Langwith Bassett Primary Academy Mansfield
• Temple Normanton Primary Academy Chesterfield

What is Aston Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Aston Academy is Needs attention, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Aston Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Aston Academy was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Aston Academy have?

Aston Academy has 1,366 pupils on roll.

What age range does Aston Academy cover?

Aston Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Aston Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 45.3, and 42% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Aston Academy?

Aston Academy is at Aughton Road, Swallownest, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S26 4SF.