Lakelands Academy

Lakelands Academy is a smaller-than-average secondary school in Shropshire, part of The 3-18 Education Trust, which it joined in June 2026. It has 581 pupils on roll and a specially resourced provision for 27 pupils with SEND, all with EHC plans, focused on autistic spectrum disorder. This was a full section 5 inspection. Safeguarding standards are met. Inspectors judged the school to be meeting expected standards in achievement, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing. Attendance and behaviour was the only area identified as needing attention. Notable strengths include a broad and ambitious curriculum that is typically taught well, with teachers using secure subject knowledge and checking understanding. The specially resourced SEND provision is very well matched to pupils' needs and delivers highly effective teaching. Leaders have an inclusive culture, identify SEND and disadvantage early, and have improved disadvantaged pupils' attendance and achievement. Attendance overall is above national averages, including for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils. Personal development, careers education and extra-curricular opportunities are effective, and staff report that the school is well led. The main concerns are inconsistent behaviour and attitudes to learning, with too many lessons disrupted, some pupils not completing work, and the behaviour policy not consistently applied. Leaders' work with a small group of pupils who repeatedly disrupt lessons has not yet had a notable impact. Curriculum delivery is not consistently strong in some subjects, and support for SEND pupils is not used well in every lesson. Published examination outcomes in English and maths and Progress 8 have been below national averages, and destinations after 16 are also below national. Some pupils and parents also raise concerns about behaviour and disrespectful language.

Strengths

• Broad and ambitious curriculum in place across the school
• Curriculum typically taught well by teachers with secure subject knowledge
• Specially resourced SEND provision is very well matched to pupils' needs and delivers highly effective teaching
• Leaders identify SEND and disadvantaged pupils' needs swiftly and have high ambitions for them
• Disadvantaged pupils' attendance and key stage 4 achievement have improved
• Attendance is above national averages, including for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils
• Effective personal development programme covering health, safety, relationships and British values
• Well-planned careers programme with work experience and independent advice
• Staff feel proud to work at the school and value leaders' consideration of workload and wellbeing
• Governors and trustees know the school well, fulfil duties and provide appropriate support and challenge
• A range of extra-curricular opportunities, including clubs, trips and pupil leadership roles
• Reading and numeracy support helps pupils access the curriculum
• Pupils are generally well prepared for education, training or employment

Areas for Improvement

• Behaviour and attitudes to learning are inconsistent, with too many lessons disrupted
• Some pupils do not complete work in lessons or maintain positive attitudes to learning
• The behaviour policy is not always used well by staff and has not yet led to improved behaviour
• Interventions for the small minority of pupils who repeatedly disrupt lessons have not yet had notable impact
• Curriculum delivery is not consistently well implemented across all subjects
• Tasks in some subjects are not always appropriate for supporting pupils in learning the intended curriculum
• Support for pupils with SEND is not consistently well used in all lessons
• Some pupils report disrespectful behaviour and offensive language from peers
• GCSE outcomes in English and maths and Progress 8 remain below national averages
• Destinations after 16 are below national averages
• Some parents and carers have concerns about poor behaviour in some lessons

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 Lakelands Academy attended 93.6% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 20.4% 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 Lakelands 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 Lakelands Academy had 16.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 13.0% 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, 14.4% of pupils at Lakelands Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 7.6% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has resourced provision with 26 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 Lakelands Academy received £8,189 and spent £8,110 for each of its 581 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £200,000 (£344 per pupil).

Across all 14 schools of The 3-18 Education Trust, income was £7,598 and spending £7,604 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 Ellesmere · Shropshire local authority: places and applications

Lakelands Academy is part of The 3-18 Education Trust, which runs 14 schools. The nearest others:

• St Martins School (3-16 Learning Community) Oswestry
• Whixall CofE Primary School Nr Whitchurch
• The Thomas Adams School Shrewsbury
• Clive CofE Primary School Shrewsbury
• Prees CofE Primary School Whitchurch
• Hodnet Primary School Market Drayton
• Bowbrook Primary School Shrewsbury
• Coleham Primary School Shrewsbury
• The Priory School Shrewsbury
• William Brookes School Much Wenlock

What is Lakelands Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Lakelands Academy is Needs attention, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Lakelands Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Lakelands Academy was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Lakelands Academy have?

Lakelands Academy has 590 pupils on roll.

What age range does Lakelands Academy cover?

Lakelands Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Lakelands Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 42.7, and 40% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Lakelands Academy?

Lakelands Academy is at Oswestry Road, Ellesmere, Shropshire, SY12 0EA.