Somercotes Academy

Somercotes Academy is performing well, maintaining the standards set at its last inspection in 2018. The school fosters strong relationships among pupils and staff, creating a safe and supportive environment where pupils are encouraged to excel. With high expectations for behavior and a clear framework for conduct, the school has seen significant improvements in behavior management recently. The curriculum is broad and ambitious, providing both academic and vocational opportunities, with a strong commitment to supporting pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This ungraded inspection reflects the school's ongoing development and responsiveness to challenges.

Strengths

• Strong relationships between pupils and staff
• High expectations for behavior leading to a calm environment
• Broad and ambitious curriculum with academic and vocational options
• Effective support for pupils with SEND
• Encouragement of reading and vocabulary development
• Well-planned personal, social, health and careers education curriculum
• Involvement of pupils in leadership roles and extracurricular activities

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent application of routines for checking pupils' learning
• Some pupils are frequently absent, impacting their access to the curriculum

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 Somercotes Academy attended 87.7% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 41.9% 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, 13.7% of pupils at Somercotes Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 4 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 Somercotes Academy had 13.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 16.4% 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, 22.0% of pupils at Somercotes Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.3% 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 Somercotes Academy received £9,454 and spent £9,040 for each of its 433 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £712,000 (£1,644 per pupil).

Across all 9 schools of Lincolnshire Gateway Academies Trust, income was £8,133 and spending £8,144 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 Louth · Lincolnshire local authority: places and applications

Somercotes Academy is part of Lincolnshire Gateway Academies Trust, which runs 11 schools. The nearest others:

• Theddlethorpe Academy Mablethorpe
• Louth Academy Louth
• Kidgate Academy Louth
• Cleethorpes Academy Cleethorpes
• Waltham Toll Bar Academy Grimsby
• Reynolds Primary Academy Cleethorpes
• Waltham Gateway Academy Grimsby
• Scartho Gateway Academy Grimsby
• Pilgrim Academy Immingham
• Kirton Academy Gainsborough

What is Somercotes Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Somercotes Academy is Good, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was Somercotes Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Somercotes Academy was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does Somercotes Academy have?

Somercotes Academy has 395 pupils on roll.

What age range does Somercotes Academy cover?

Somercotes Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Somercotes Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 37.7, and 18% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Somercotes Academy?

Somercotes Academy is at Keeling Street, North Somercotes, Louth, Lincolnshire, LN11 7PN.