Carlton Academy

Carlton Academy has been confirmed as a good school, with students thriving in a supportive and inclusive community environment. The school fosters positive relationships between pupils and staff, emphasizes a strong curriculum that prepares students for future challenges, and provides a wide array of extracurricular activities that contribute to personal growth and development. However, there are areas for improvement, particularly in how information is presented to students and the precision of feedback provided by teachers.

Strengths

• Strong community engagement and support for pupils.
• Positive and respectful relationships between pupils and staff.
• Broad curriculum tailored to community needs.
• Effective support for pupils with SEND.
• Wide array of extracurricular activities available.
• High regard for the sixth form among students.
• Consistent application of behavior policies leading to minimal disruption.

Areas for Improvement

• Some teachers present too much information at once, affecting pupil achievement.
• Inconsistent precision of feedback from teachers in certain subjects.

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 Carlton Academy attended 91.0% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 23.3% 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, 10.1% of pupils at Carlton Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 11 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 Carlton Academy had 16.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 15.7% 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, 6.8% of pupils at Carlton Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 1.1% 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 Carlton Academy received £7,966 and spent £8,155 for each of its 1,371 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £19,000 (-£14 per pupil).

Across all 19 schools of Redhill Academy Trust, income was £7,880 and spending £7,947 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 · Nottinghamshire local authority: places and applications

Carlton Academy is part of Redhill Academy Trust, which runs 21 schools. The nearest others:

• The Carlton Junior Academy Nottingham
• The Carlton Infant Academy Nottingham
• Robert Mellors Primary Academy Nottingham
• Redhill Academy Nottingham
• South Nottinghamshire Academy Nottingham
• The Oakwood Academy Nottingham
• Park Vale Academy Nottingham
• Colonel Frank Seely Academy Nottingham
• Hall Park Academy Nottingham
• Farmilo Primary School and Nursery Mansfield

What is Carlton Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Carlton Academy is Good, from an inspection in January 2023.

When was Carlton Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Carlton Academy was last inspected in January 2023.

How many pupils does Carlton Academy have?

Carlton Academy has 1,354 pupils on roll.

What age range does Carlton Academy cover?

Carlton Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Carlton Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 50.2, and 53% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Carlton Academy?

Carlton Academy is at Coningswath Road, Carlton, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG4 3SH.