North Kesteven Academy

North Kesteven Academy is a secondary school of about 611 pupils that has been placed in special measures following this inspection. Safeguarding standards are not met: leaders have not established an open and positive safeguarding culture, procedures for protecting pupils are not rigorous or consistently applied, records do not always follow statutory guidance, and the school has not done enough to protect some pupils from child-on-child violence or harassment. Leaders have acted swiftly with external organisations, but substantial improvement is still needed and current weaknesses place pupils at risk. The school’s leadership and governance require urgent improvement; trustees have not fulfilled their statutory responsibilities, oversight is weak, and HMCI says leaders, managers and governors are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement. HMCI also recommends the school does not appoint early career teachers at this time. The school is part of North Kesteven Academy trust, whose CEO also chairs the board of trustees, and it has had a significant change in leadership, with a new headteacher from September 2025. There are important strengths and signs of improvement. Inclusion is judged expected standard: leaders identify most pupils’ needs quickly and support many vulnerable pupils, including those with complex home circumstances and SEND, through strong relationships and work with external services. Disadvantaged pupils’ behaviour and achievement by the time they leave have improved, attendance is beginning to improve, and pupils’ behaviour has improved noticeably, with calm lessons and reduced suspensions. Pupils value the Bridge provision, careers advice and guidance, extensive grounds and activities, and many speak positively about the new headteacher and leadership team; staff and parents also welcome recent changes. Pupils with SEND and other vulnerable pupils often feel known and cared for. However, most other areas need attention. Pupils’ attainment at the end of key stages 4 and 5 has been below national averages over time, including for SEND and disadvantaged pupils, and pupils are not well prepared for their next steps. Teaching varies too much, learning is not consistently adapted for disadvantaged pupils or those with SEND, and gaps in reading, writing and mathematics persist. Attendance remains below national and persistent absence is high. Personal development and PSHE are not taught consistently well, and some pupils feel unprepared for life beyond school. Sixth-form A-level achievement is significantly below national, though vocational courses do better. The report identifies much work still to do to raise achievement, embed effective teaching, improve attendance and ensure safeguarding is fully effective.

Strengths

• Inclusion is judged expected standard, with leaders identifying most pupils’ needs quickly.
• Vulnerable pupils, including those with complex home circumstances and SEND, are well supported through strong staff relationships with pupils and families.
• Leaders work closely with external professionals and services, including the virtual school headteacher, to provide academic and pastoral support.
• Disadvantaged pupils’ behaviour and achievement by the time they leave school have improved.
• Support for disadvantaged pupils is well targeted and helps overcome barriers.
• Pupils’ behaviour has improved, suspensions have reduced, and lessons are calm with established routines.
• New mobile phone procedures have significantly benefited pupils’ mental health and wellbeing.
• Most pupils do not have concerns about bullying or harassment and know staff they can approach.
• Leaders have planned a broad and ambitious curriculum in most subjects.
• The reading programme helps many pupils develop the knowledge to read fluently.
• The PSHE curriculum is well planned and enhanced by special themed days.
• Pupils are knowledgeable about equality, diversity and different cultures and religions.
• The school offers a range of lunchtime and after-school activities, plus extensive grounds and links to a local leisure centre.
• Careers advice and guidance are effective and are a celebrated area of provision.
• Pupils with SEND value the support they receive in the Bridge provision and feel safe and cared for.
• Sixth-form students follow suitable programmes of study, and some are excellent role models, including library and reading leaders.
• Staff are extremely positive about new leaders, their vision, staff welfare and professional development.
• Parents describe new leaders as ‘a breath of fresh air’ and welcome recent developments.
• New leaders have taken swift action to begin addressing safeguarding failings with external organisations.

Areas for Improvement

• Safeguarding standards are not met, and leaders have not ensured an open and positive safeguarding culture.
• Procedures for protecting pupils are not sufficiently rigorous or consistently implemented.
• Records of actions taken do not always follow statutory guidance and it is unclear what has been done to keep pupils safe.
• The school has not taken sufficient action to protect some pupils from child-on-child violence or harassment.
• Current safeguarding weaknesses place pupils at risk of harm.
• The school requires special measures because it is failing to provide an acceptable standard of education.
• Leadership and governance require urgent improvement; trustees have not fulfilled statutory safeguarding responsibilities.
• Trustees’ oversight of improvement priorities is weak and has not provided adequate support and challenge.
• Attainment at the end of key stages 4 and 5 has been below national averages over time.
• Disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND do not achieve as well as they should.
• Pupils are not well prepared for their next steps in education, employment or training.
• Some pupils have gaps in foundational reading, writing and mathematics.
• Some pupils with SEND do not make the progress across the curriculum they are capable of.
• Attendance remains below national averages, and persistent absence is high, especially for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND.
• Teaching effectiveness varies, and learning is not routinely adapted for disadvantaged pupils or those with SEND.
• Teachers do not always check understanding before moving on, and errors in grammar, spelling, handwriting and punctuation go unaddressed.
• Not all pupils who need reading support can access it.
• The PSHE curriculum is not taught consistently well, and some pupils feel unprepared for life beyond school.
• Important topics such as online safety are not covered in sufficient depth for some pupils.
• Post-16 A-level achievement is significantly below national, and teaching and assessment are not consistently precise.
• Some sixth-form students do not engage in wider activities that would support personal development.
• Communication with parents, particularly parents of pupils with SEND, needs to improve.
• Some pupils are less confident that bullying or harassment concerns will be followed up effectively.
• Leaders’ actions to improve teaching and attendance are in early stages and not yet fully sustained.
• HMCI recommends the school does not seek to appoint early career teachers.

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 North Kesteven Academy attended 87.1% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 40.2% 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, 15.2% of pupils at North Kesteven Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 2 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 North Kesteven Academy had 17.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 21.4% 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, 19.4% of pupils at North Kesteven Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 1.7% 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 North Kesteven Academy received £9,010 and spent £8,894 for each of its 611 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £55,000 (£90 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.

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What is North Kesteven Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for North Kesteven Academy is Urgent improvement, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was North Kesteven Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

North Kesteven Academy was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does North Kesteven Academy have?

North Kesteven Academy has 587 pupils on roll.

What age range does North Kesteven Academy cover?

North Kesteven Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are North Kesteven Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 37.5, and 25% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is North Kesteven Academy?

North Kesteven Academy is at Moor Lane, North Hykeham, Lincoln, Lincolnshire, LN6 9AG.