Spalding Academy

Spalding Academy has continued to maintain high educational standards since its previous inspection, showing effective leadership and a commitment to improvement. The school's caring environment and clear expectations support pupils in achieving well, with most making significant progress across the curriculum. Overall, pupils display excellent attitudes towards learning and are well-prepared for their future endeavors through an ambitious curriculum and a range of extracurricular opportunities. The school has also made strides in promoting reading and supporting pupils with additional needs, fostering a positive learning atmosphere.

Strengths

• Strong leadership committed to school improvement
• High expectations of pupil behavior and achievement
• Broad and ambitious curriculum tailored to student needs
• Effective support for reading development and interventions
• Positive relationships between staff and pupils
• Well-planned opportunities for pupils' broader development and extracurricular activities
• Outstanding preparation for pupils' next steps

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent delivery of the curriculum by some teachers
• Occasional gaps in checking pupils' understanding and explaining new learning

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 Spalding Academy attended 92.9% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 19.7% 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, 8.7% of pupils at Spalding Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). One pupil was 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 Spalding Academy had 17.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.3% 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, 9.9% of pupils at Spalding Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.6% 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 Spalding Academy received £7,219 and spent £7,285 for each of its 1,448 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,855,000 (£1,281 per pupil).

Across all 4 schools of South Lincolnshire Academies Trust, income was £7,357 and spending £7,723 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 Spalding · Lincolnshire local authority: places and applications

Spalding Academy is part of South Lincolnshire Academies Trust, which runs 4 schools. The nearest others:

• Cowley Academy Spalding
• Bourne Academy Bourne
• Giles Academy Boston

What is Spalding Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Spalding Academy is Good, from an inspection in May 2025.

When was Spalding Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Spalding Academy was last inspected in May 2025.

How many pupils does Spalding Academy have?

Spalding Academy has 1,486 pupils on roll.

What age range does Spalding Academy cover?

Spalding Academy for pupils aged 11 to 19.

What are Spalding Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 44.1, and 27% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Spalding Academy?

Spalding Academy is at Neville Avenue, Donington, Spalding, Lincolnshire, PE11 2EJ.