City of Peterborough Academy

City of Peterborough Academy has made significant progress since its last inspection, moving from an inadequate rating to a good standard across several areas including the quality of education, behavior and attitudes, personal development, and leadership. The school culture has improved, allowing pupils to feel safe, respected, and valued, which contributes to their happiness and academic success. The trust's involvement has been essential in fostering these improvements through a well-structured curriculum and dedicated support for students, especially those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe, cared for, and valued.
• There is a strong culture of respect and high expectations for behavior.
• Pupils produce high-quality work and achieve well in their examinations.
• Well-structured curriculum that meets National Curriculum aims.
• Effective support for pupils with SEND allows them to thrive.
• Strong leadership and shared vision among staff.

Areas for Improvement

• Teachers do not consistently adapt their teaching to meet individual pupil needs.
• Some pupils continue to use inappropriate language, indicating that the positive culture is not yet fully embedded.

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 City of Peterborough Academy attended 88.1% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 38.0% 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, 19.8% of pupils at City of Peterborough Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 6 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 City of Peterborough Academy had 15.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.1% 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, 11.4% of pupils at City of Peterborough Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.2% 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 City of Peterborough Academy received £9,433 and spent £9,429 for each of its 830 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £965,000 (£1,162 per pupil).

Across all 37 schools of Greenwood Academies Trust, income was £8,670 and spending £8,578 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 · Peterborough local authority: places and applications

City of Peterborough Academy is part of Greenwood Academies Trust, which runs 38 schools. The nearest others:

• Medeshamstede Academy Peterborough
• Newark Hill Academy Peterborough
• Dogsthorpe Academy Peterborough
• Welland Academy Peterborough
• Bishop Creighton Academy Peterborough
• Stanground Academy Peterborough
• Studfall Infant Academy Corby
• Studfall Junior Academy Corby
• Corby Primary Academy Corby
• Hazel Leys Academy Corby

What is City of Peterborough Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for City of Peterborough Academy is Good, from an inspection in September 2024.

When was City of Peterborough Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

City of Peterborough Academy was last inspected in September 2024.

How many pupils does City of Peterborough Academy have?

City of Peterborough Academy has 853 pupils on roll.

What age range does City of Peterborough Academy cover?

City of Peterborough Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are City of Peterborough Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 42.2, and 34% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is City of Peterborough Academy?

City of Peterborough Academy is at Reeves Way, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, PE1 5LQ.