Bluecoat Aspley Academy

Bluecoat Aspley Academy continues to demonstrate good performance since its last inspection in May 2018. The school maintains a supportive and inclusive environment, catering to a diverse pupil population and ensuring that students, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), access a broad and ambitious curriculum. Many pupils participate in extracurricular activities and leadership roles, enhancing their personal development and sense of responsibility. The school promotes high expectations regarding academic achievement and behavior, which most pupils generally meet, creating a positive and safe learning atmosphere.

Strengths

• The school has a caring and inclusive culture.
• Pupils benefit from a broad and well-sequenced curriculum.
• Effective support for pupils with SEND ensures their good progress.
• Strong subject knowledge among teachers leads to effective curriculum delivery.
• A wide range of extracurricular activities fosters student engagement and interest.

Areas for Improvement

• Some teachers do not consistently use the school's agreed approach to delivering the curriculum.
• A minority of pupils do not always meet expectations for respectful behavior.

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 Bluecoat Aspley Academy attended 92.8% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 22.6% 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, 6.2% of pupils at Bluecoat Aspley 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 Bluecoat Aspley Academy had 17.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 15.1% 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, 9.7% of pupils at Bluecoat Aspley Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.3% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has resourced provision with 6 pupils.

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 Bluecoat Aspley Academy received £8,682 and spent £9,244 for each of its 1,354 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £331,000 (£244 per pupil).

Across all 11 schools of Archway Learning Trust, income was £8,859 and spending £8,904 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 · Nottingham local authority: places and applications

Bluecoat Aspley Academy is part of Archway Learning Trust, which runs 13 schools. The nearest others:

• Bluecoat Beechdale Academy Nottingham
• Bluecoat Primary Academy Nottingham
• Bluecoat Bentinck Primary Academy Nottingham
• Bluecoat Wollaton Academy Nottingham
• Bluecoat Trent Academy Nottingham
• The Nottingham Emmanuel School West Bridgford
• St John's CofE Primary School Nottingham
• Colwick St John the Baptist CofE Primary Academy Nottingham
• The Long Eaton School Nottingham
• Wood's Foundation CofE Primary School Nottingham

What is Bluecoat Aspley Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Bluecoat Aspley Academy is Good, from an inspection in July 2024.

When was Bluecoat Aspley Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Bluecoat Aspley Academy was last inspected in July 2024.

How many pupils does Bluecoat Aspley Academy have?

Bluecoat Aspley Academy has 1,344 pupils on roll.

What age range does Bluecoat Aspley Academy cover?

Bluecoat Aspley Academy for pupils aged 11 to 19.

What are Bluecoat Aspley Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 45.8, and 48% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Bluecoat Aspley Academy?

Bluecoat Aspley Academy is at Aspley Lane, Aspley, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG8 5GY.