The Deepings School

The Deepings School has improved in recent times and has an inclusive culture where pupils feel safe, build positive relationships with staff and generally behave well. The curriculum is broad and ambitious and is well sequenced, and pupils benefit from strong personal development, enrichment, careers information and effective reading support. Behaviour and attendance have improved, and safeguarding is effective. The school is part of Anthem Schools Trust and has had support from the trust and a new leadership team; leadership and management are seen as effective overall, although some staff have workload concerns. The main area needing improvement is the quality of education. Although teachers have good subject knowledge and the curriculum plans are in place, teaching is not delivered consistently well: staff do not always check understanding, correct misconceptions or focus activities sharply enough on the intended knowledge. As a result, pupils' learning is often insecure and too many do not achieve as well as they should by the end of Year 11. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are identified accurately and staff receive training, but learning activities are not adapted effectively enough to meet their specific needs, so these pupils do not achieve as well as they should. The sixth form is a notable strength, with challenging lessons, careful checking of learning and strong preparation for students' next steps.

Strengths

• Inclusive culture based on mutual respect
• Pupils feel safe and have positive relationships with staff
• The vast majority of pupils behave well
• Broad, ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum
• Pupils can choose the full suite of English Baccalaureate subjects
• Effective reading support helps pupils catch up quickly
• Strong personal development, including PSHE, British values and careers information
• Behaviour and attendance have improved
• Sixth-form lessons are challenging and students are well prepared for next steps
• Enrichment, trips and leadership opportunities enhance pupils' experiences
• Effective leadership and trust monitoring are driving improvement
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum delivery is inconsistent across the school
• Teachers do not always check pupils' understanding or correct misconceptions
• Some lesson activities are not sharply focused on the intended knowledge
• Pupils' learning is often insecure and too many do not achieve as well as they should by the end of Year 11
• Learning activities are not adapted effectively for pupils with SEND, so they do not achieve as well as they should
• Some staff have concerns about the impact of changes on their workload

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 The Deepings School attended 90.9% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 26.7% 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, 5.1% of pupils at The Deepings School 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 The Deepings School had 18.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 16.3% 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, 20.4% of pupils at The Deepings School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 1.6% 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 The Deepings School received £8,919 and spent £8,249 for each of its 1,041 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £294,000 (£282 per pupil).

Across all 15 schools of Anthem Schools Trust, income was £8,162 and spending £8,134 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 Peterborough · Lincolnshire local authority: places and applications

The Deepings School is part of Anthem Schools Trust, which runs 15 schools. The nearest others:

• Boston West Academy Boston
• Lincoln Carlton Academy Lincoln
• Mount Street Academy Lincoln
• Grampian Primary Academy Derby
• Benjamin Adlard Primary School Gainsborough
• Queensbury Academy Dunstable
• Oxford Spires Academy Oxford
• Gladstone Park Primary School London
• Abacus Belsize Primary School London
• Abbey Woods Academy Wallingford

What is The Deepings School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Deepings School is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was The Deepings School last inspected by Ofsted?

The Deepings School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does The Deepings School have?

The Deepings School has 967 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Deepings School cover?

The Deepings School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are The Deepings School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 41.5, and 35% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is The Deepings School?

The Deepings School is at Park Road, Deeping St James, Peterborough, Lincolnshire, PE6 8NF.