Neale-Wade Academy

Neale-Wade Academy is undergoing significant challenges that require immediate attention and improvement. Despite recent efforts to enhance attendance and behavior among pupils, the overall academic performance remains below expectations, with many pupils failing to achieve acceptable outcomes in national tests. The leadership has faced considerable changes in recent years and is now striving to implement a more effective curriculum and teaching strategy, but these efforts are still in the early stages and not yet fully impactful. On a positive note, the school offers strong pastoral support, ensuring that pupils feel safe and supported, particularly those facing emotional and social challenges. The school has made noteworthy strides in areas such as personal development, with a structured program that effectively promotes key life skills. Attendance rates have improved significantly, particularly for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. However, concerns remain regarding the variability of teaching quality and the lack of sufficient support for vulnerable pupils. The challenges in achieving adequate academic standards, particularly for disadvantaged pupils, suggest that while there are areas of strength, substantial improvements are necessary for overall success.

Strengths

• Strong pastoral support helps pupils feel safe and supported.
• Significant improvements in pupils' attendance and behavior.
• Clear vision for personal development with a structured program.
• Positive relationships among pupils and staff, fostering a supportive environment.

Areas for Improvement

• Overall pupil achievement is low and requires urgent improvement.
• Inconsistent teaching quality impacts pupil progress.
• Support for vulnerable pupils is often inadequate and variable.
• Leadership and governance changes have not yet fully stabilized.

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 Neale-Wade Academy attended 90.0% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 27.6% 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, 5.1% of pupils at Neale-Wade Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 7 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 Neale-Wade Academy had 14.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 22.8% 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, 13.9% of pupils at Neale-Wade Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.9% 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 Neale-Wade Academy received £9,293 and spent £9,427 for each of its 1,222 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,456,000 (£1,192 per pupil).

Across all 18 schools of The Active Learning Trust Limited, income was £8,366 and spending £8,624 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 March · Cambridgeshire local authority: places and applications

Neale-Wade Academy is part of The Active Learning Trust Limited, which runs 21 schools. The nearest others:

• Kingsfield Primary School Chatteris
• Cromwell Community College Chatteris
• Highfield Littleport Academy Ely
• Isle of Ely Primary School Ely
• Highfield Ely Academy Ely
• Earith Primary School Huntingdon
• Chesterton Primary School Cambridge
• Gusford Community Primary School Ipswich
• Chantry Academy Ipswich
• Hillside Primary School Ipswich

What is Neale-Wade Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Neale-Wade Academy is Urgent improvement, from an inspection in April 2026.

When was Neale-Wade Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Neale-Wade Academy was last inspected in April 2026.

How many pupils does Neale-Wade Academy have?

Neale-Wade Academy has 1,130 pupils on roll.

What age range does Neale-Wade Academy cover?

Neale-Wade Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Neale-Wade Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 36.7, and 30% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Neale-Wade Academy?

Neale-Wade Academy is at Wimblington Road, March, Cambridgeshire, PE15 9PX.