Lincoln Carlton Academy

Lincoln Carlton Academy is a happy, well-led primary school where pupils are expected to achieve highly and are well prepared for life in modern Britain. Inspectors found strong provision across the curriculum, reading, early years, personal development and support for pupils with SEND. Pupils are courteous and respectful, relationships are positive, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. The school's curriculum is carefully sequenced and builds knowledge over time, though in a small number of subjects pupils do not consistently remember prior learning. The school has notable strengths in reading and phonics, with pupils quickly becoming fluent and enthusiastic readers, and in personal development, where pupils develop a strong understanding of British values and respect. Children get off to a strong start in the early years, and pupils with SEND are well supported, including those who learn in the Explorers Room. Leadership is strong at all levels, including trust and governance, and staff are happy to work at the school. The main area for improvement is that some parents do not view the school positively, with concerns raised about communication and the breadth of activities on offer. Although inspection findings did not align with these views, the school needs to engage more systematically with its community to build a more cohesive relationship with a greater proportion of parents. This was the school's first routine inspection since the pandemic and its first section 5 inspection since 2015, when it was exempt as an outstanding school; under the current framework it receives no overall effectiveness grade.

Strengths

• Curriculum is meticulously designed and well-ordered, with knowledge building cumulatively across subjects
• Reading is prioritised and pupils become enthusiastic, fluent and confident readers
• Phonics is taught effectively, with early identification and support for pupils who fall behind
• Pupils with SEND are well supported to learn the curriculum and are well cared for
• Children get off to a strong start in early years, with an expertly designed curriculum and motivating activities
• Personal development provision is a strength, underpinned by a well-structured PSHE curriculum
• Pupils are well-mannered, courteous and respectful, and relationships with staff are consistently positive
• Leadership and management are strong at all levels, including trust and governance
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective
• Pupils benefit from opportunities to take on responsibilities and contribute positively to the school

Areas for Improvement

• In a small number of subjects, pupils do not consistently remember prior learning, leaving gaps in their knowledge
• Some parents do not view the school positively and raise concerns about communication and the breadth of activities on offer
• The school needs to systematically explore, understand and respond to community views to build a more cohesive relationship with parents

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 Lincoln Carlton Academy attended 96.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 6.0% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

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, 0.7% of pupils at Lincoln Carlton Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). 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 Lincoln Carlton Academy had 24.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 9.4% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

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, 16.3% of pupils at Lincoln Carlton Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.6% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

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 primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Lincoln Carlton Academy received £6,152 and spent £6,459 for each of its 417 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £118,000 (£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 Lincoln · Lincolnshire local authority: places and applications

Lincoln Carlton Academy is part of Anthem Schools Trust, which runs 15 schools. The nearest others:

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

What is Lincoln Carlton Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Lincoln Carlton Academy is Good, from an inspection in June 2025.

When was Lincoln Carlton Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Lincoln Carlton Academy was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does Lincoln Carlton Academy have?

Lincoln Carlton Academy has 436 pupils on roll.

What age range does Lincoln Carlton Academy cover?

Lincoln Carlton Academy for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Lincoln Carlton Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 77% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Lincoln Carlton Academy?

Lincoln Carlton Academy is at Carlton Boulevard, Lincoln, Lincolnshire, LN2 4AG.