University Academy Holbeach

University Academy Holbeach is a welcoming, inclusive secondary school where pupils feel safe and happy, behaviour and personal development are strong, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. The curriculum is broad and ambitious, including the full national curriculum at key stage 3 and a wide range of vocational and academic options; vocational teaching and the sixth form are particular strengths, with well-resourced classrooms, expert staff, strong careers guidance and good preparation for pupils’ next steps. However, the quality of education is not yet consistently strong. In too many lessons, teachers do not check prior knowledge or understanding accurately, do not correct gaps and misconceptions promptly, and do not routinely adapt activities to provide support or challenge. This means some pupils, including pupils with SEND, do not learn as securely as they should, produce work of lower quality and do not achieve as well as they should, as reflected in recent external examination outcomes. Leadership and governance also need improvement. The school has begun work to improve the curriculum, but actions are not always clear and monitoring of impact lacks rigour, including by trust leaders and those responsible for governance. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and it remains part of the University of Lincoln Academy Trust. No overall effectiveness grade is given under the arrangements for graded inspections from September 2024.

Strengths

• Welcoming and inclusive culture where pupils feel safe, happy and respected
• Positive relationships with caring staff and effective handling of bullying
• Broad and ambitious curriculum with full national curriculum at key stage 3
• Wide range of academic and vocational options matched to pupils’ interests and aspirations
• Expert teaching and exceptionally well-resourced vocational classrooms
• Strong sixth-form provision that prepares students well for their next steps
• Robust systems for identifying SEND and sharing strategies with staff
• Effective specialist support for weaker readers’ fluency and comprehension
• Well-considered PSHE curriculum covering safety, relationships, mental health and British values
• Detailed careers information and strong employer engagement, including apprenticeships
• Varied extracurricular opportunities and meaningful pupil leadership roles
• Effective safeguarding arrangements and a positive safeguarding culture
• Staff are proud to work at the school and feel well supported by leaders

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent curriculum delivery means pupils do not always build securely on prior learning
• Teachers do not reliably identify or correct knowledge gaps and misconceptions
• Learning activities are not routinely adapted to meet pupils’ needs, including SEND support and challenge
• Some pupils do not produce high-quality work or achieve as well as they should
• Recent external examination outcomes reflect underachievement
• Leadership oversight of curriculum improvement lacks clarity and rigour
• Governors and trust leaders do not monitor the impact of improvement work closely enough

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 University Academy Holbeach attended 90.1% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 30.0% 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, 7.1% of pupils at University Academy Holbeach 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 University Academy Holbeach had 14.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 5.1% 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, 17.6% of pupils at University Academy Holbeach were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.7% 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 University Academy Holbeach received £9,108 and spent £9,054 for each of its 1,396 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £634,000 (£454 per pupil).

Across all 7 schools of University of Lincoln Academy Trust, income was £9,210 and spending £9,106 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 Spalding · Lincolnshire local authority: places and applications

University Academy Holbeach is part of University of Lincoln Academy Trust, which runs 7 schools. The nearest others:

• Holbeach Primary Academy Spalding
• Holbeach Bank Primary Academy Spalding
• University Academy Long Sutton Spalding
• Monkshouse Primary Academy Spalding
• Gosberton House Academy Spalding
• Wrangle Primary Academy Boston

What is University Academy Holbeach's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for University Academy Holbeach is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in December 2024.

When was University Academy Holbeach last inspected by Ofsted?

University Academy Holbeach was last inspected in December 2024.

How many pupils does University Academy Holbeach have?

University Academy Holbeach has 1,378 pupils on roll.

What age range does University Academy Holbeach cover?

University Academy Holbeach for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are University Academy Holbeach's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 38.7, and 24% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is University Academy Holbeach?

University Academy Holbeach is at Park Road, Holbeach, Spalding, Lincolnshire, PE12 7PU.