The Pingle Academy

The Pingle Academy is a large secondary school within the Affinity Learning Partnership and includes a specially resourced SEND provision, the ARC, as well as a SEN unit. Safeguarding standards are met, and leaders have created an open culture where safeguarding is taken seriously. Personal development and wellbeing are a clear strength: pupils benefit from strong pastoral care, a wide enrichment offer and effective careers guidance. However, most other areas need attention. Achievement has historically been weak, teaching is inconsistent, and pupils with SEND in mainstream provision do not always receive the precise support they need. Disadvantaged pupils' achievement gaps are not closing quickly enough, persistent absence remains high, and behaviour is not managed consistently enough across the school. Leaders, including a recently appointed executive principal, understand the weaknesses and are taking decisive action. Attendance is improving, suspensions are reducing, and the curriculum is broad and ambitious. The specially resourced SEND unit is a notable strength, and sixth-form students benefit from good personal development and strong progression to education, employment or training. However, post-16 outcomes are below national averages, governance is not yet robust enough to challenge leaders, and many improvement strategies are at an early stage. The trust has begun to strengthen oversight, but the full impact of these changes is not yet evident.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open and positive safeguarding culture.
• Personal development and wellbeing are prioritised and well structured.
• Pupils describe the school as an inclusive community and value difference.
• The curriculum is broad, ambitious and well organised across subjects.
• Teachers demonstrate strong subject knowledge across all phases.
• The specially resourced SEND unit and ARC provide skilled, specialist support and prepare pupils well for next steps.
• Pastoral care is strong, including dedicated support for young carers and counselling interventions.
• Careers education is effective and pupils are well informed about next steps.
• A wide range of enrichment, trips, clubs and leadership opportunities is available, including for disadvantaged pupils.
• Attendance is improving because of effective leader action, and suspensions are reducing.
• Social times are typically calm and most pupils show positive attitudes to learning.
• Leaders have established a culture where bullying is not tolerated and incidents are usually addressed swiftly.
• Sixth-form students show a strong sense of community, ownership and pride.
• Sixth-form teaching is typically effective and students progress increasingly well from their starting points.
• Alternative provision is used effectively to support pupils with behavioural, social, emotional and mental health needs.

Areas for Improvement

• Historically, pupils have not achieved well in national examinations because gaps in knowledge have built up over time.
• Teaching quality is inconsistent, including how well the curriculum is adapted for pupils with SEND in mainstream provision.
• Disadvantaged pupils' achievement gaps are not closing quickly enough in some subjects.
• Persistent absence remains high, despite improvements.
• The behaviour policy is not applied consistently by staff.
• Disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND are disproportionately represented in sanctions.
• SEND identification and support in mainstream provision are inconsistent, and some plans are too vague.
• Leaders' professional learning and quality assurance have not yet had sufficient impact on teacher expertise.
• Governance is not sufficiently robust in challenging leaders or securing swift improvement.
• Post-16 outcomes are below national averages, and the impact of curriculum redesign is not yet clear.
• The quality of provision remains variable, and many improvement changes are in the early stages.
• A significant minority of parents, carers, staff and pupils say behaviour management is inconsistent.
• A minority of pupils and parents do not agree that bullying is resolved.

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 The Pingle Academy attended 91.0% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 23.5% 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, 7.3% of pupils at The Pingle Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 3 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 The Pingle Academy had 16.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 20.3% 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, 21.7% of pupils at The Pingle Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 10.2% 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 The Pingle Academy received £8,837 and spent £8,605 for each of its 1,377 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,472,000 (£1,069 per pupil).

Across all 7 schools of Affinity Learning Partnership, income was £7,699 and spending £7,452 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 Swadlincote · Derbyshire local authority: places and applications

The Pingle Academy is part of Affinity Learning Partnership, which runs 7 schools. The nearest others:

• Granville Academy Swadlincote
• Lansdowne Infant Academy Burton-On-Trent
• Eton Park Junior Academy Burton-On-Trent
• Horninglow Primary School Burton-On-Trent
• The de Ferrers Academy Burton-On-Trent
• Richard Wakefield CofE Primary Academy Burton-On-Trent

What is The Pingle Academy's Ofsted rating?

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

When was The Pingle Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

The Pingle Academy was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does The Pingle Academy have?

The Pingle Academy has 1,363 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Pingle Academy cover?

The Pingle Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are The Pingle Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 43.4, and 43% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is The Pingle Academy?

The Pingle Academy is at Coronation Street, Swadlincote, Derbyshire, DE11 0QA.