Humberston Academy

Humberston Academy is a welcoming and aspirational secondary school where pupils behave exceptionally well and personal development is a standout feature. Inspectors found strong relationships, an ambitious curriculum, effective reading provision and good support for pupils with SEND, including in the school's Hive provision. Attendance is above the national average and improving, careers guidance is strong, and pupils benefit from extensive visits, leadership roles and charitable work. Safeguarding is effective. The school is part of The David Ross Education Trust and was inspected for the first time in routine terms since the pandemic, having been exempt from routine inspection since 2013. Senior leadership is new since the previous inspection. While most pupils achieve well, the report notes variation in achievement between subjects and for some groups of pupils. It also flags that pupils do not always get enough opportunity to apply knowledge independently, and that leaders do not consistently use the information they collect to evaluate impact, so some improvements are slower than they should be. Behaviour and personal development are particular strengths, while quality of education and leadership are good; no overall effectiveness grade is awarded under the current framework.

Strengths

• Creates a welcoming, inclusive and aspirational culture where pupils feel valued
• Pupils behave exceptionally well and relationships with staff are strong
• Personal development provision is high quality, with rich visits, leadership roles and charitable work
• Curriculum is ambitious and recent subject improvements are supported by the trust
• Reading is central, with daily lessons and targeted support for early readers
• Staff receive useful training and teach consistently using strong subject knowledge
• Pupils with SEND are identified quickly and well supported, including in the Hive provision
• Attendance is better than the national average and improving
• Careers education and guidance prepare pupils well for aspirational next steps
• Governance provides effective support and challenge, and staff wellbeing is well supported

Areas for Improvement

• Achievement varies between subjects and for some groups of pupils
• Pupils sometimes lack sufficient opportunity to use and apply knowledge independently
• The school does not consistently evaluate the impact of its actions using the information it collects
• Some improvements take longer to be realised as a result

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 Humberston Academy attended 93.9% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 17.3% 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, 3.7% of pupils at Humberston 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 Humberston Academy had 18.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.2% 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, 13.0% of pupils at Humberston Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 5.7% 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 Humberston Academy received £8,122 and spent £8,012 for each of its 890 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £503,000 (£565 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 Grimsby · North East Lincolnshire local authority: places and applications

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

• Havelock Academy Grimsby
• Fairfield Academy Grimsby
• Edward Heneage Primary Academy Grimsby
• Ainthorpe Primary School Hull
• Endike Academy Hull
• Wold Academy Hull
• King Edward VI Academy Spilsby
• Hogsthorpe Primary Academy Skegness
• The Eresby School, Spilsby Spilsby
• The Barnes Wallis Academy Lincoln

What is Humberston Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Humberston Academy is Good, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was Humberston Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Humberston Academy was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does Humberston Academy have?

Humberston Academy has 891 pupils on roll.

What age range does Humberston Academy cover?

Humberston Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Humberston Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 49.3, and 47% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Humberston Academy?

Humberston Academy is at Humberston Avenue, Humberston, Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, DN36 4TF.