The Priory Pembroke Academy

The Priory Pembroke Academy has been judged strong for inclusion and leadership, with new leaders since 2024 having created a highly inclusive school. The school is relentless in removing barriers for vulnerable and disadvantaged pupils, including those with SEND, and has significantly improved attendance, reduced suspensions and ensured all leavers move on to appropriate destinations. Safeguarding standards are met, and pupils feel safe, well cared for and positive about their school.

Strengths

• Inclusion is at the heart of the school, with leaders unwavering in removing barriers for vulnerable and disadvantaged pupils.
• Leaders have an accurate understanding of strengths and priorities and are highly ambitious for all pupils.
• Trustees and governors provide clear vision, strong strategic direction and effective oversight.
• Pastoral care is a significant strength, with pupils feeling safe and confident that staff respond quickly to their needs.
• Pupils develop secure knowledge through a carefully planned PSHE curriculum that reflects their needs and local context.
• Disadvantaged pupils achieve very well compared to disadvantaged pupils nationally.
• Leaders' strategic actions to improve attendance have been a real success, with persistent absence reducing significantly.
• Pupils are well prepared for the next stages of their lives, with all 2025 leavers moving on to appropriate education, employment or training.
• Leaders have designed an ambitious, broad and knowledge-rich curriculum that is sequenced carefully.
• The reading programme is well structured and has a strong impact, with teachers prioritising communication and language.
• Effective strategies support pupils with multiple disadvantages to manage and regulate their behaviour successfully.
• Pupils make positive contributions to the school and wider community through a wide range of opportunities.

Areas for Improvement

• The accuracy and presentation of pupils' writing remain variable.
• Some inconsistencies in teaching and assessment remain across the school.
• Published examination results in 2025 were affected by a minority of pupils, with attainment and progress close to but not consistently above national averages.
• Behaviour can deteriorate in the few instances where teaching is not as successful as needed.

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 Priory Pembroke Academy attended 90.7% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 23.7% 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, 9.5% of pupils at The Priory Pembroke Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No 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 Priory Pembroke Academy had 15.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 19.2% 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, 23.9% of pupils at The Priory Pembroke Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 7.1% 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 Priory Pembroke Academy received £9,198 and spent £9,162 for each of its 593 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,016,000 (£1,714 per pupil).

Across all 14 schools of The Priory Federation of Academies, income was £8,686 and spending £8,648 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 Lincoln · Lincolnshire local authority: places and applications

The Priory Pembroke Academy is part of The Priory Federation of Academies, which runs 14 schools. The nearest others:

• Cherry Willingham Primary Academy Lincoln
• Heighington Millfield Primary Academy Lincoln
• The Priory Academy LSST Lincoln
• Bracebridge Infant and Nursery School Lincoln
• Bracebridge Heath St John's Primary Academy Lincoln
• The Priory City of Lincoln Academy Lincoln
• The Priory Witham Academy Lincoln
• Waddington Redwood Primary Academy Lincoln
• Ling Moor Primary Academy Lincoln
• The Priory Ruskin Academy Grantham

What is The Priory Pembroke Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Priory Pembroke Academy is Expected standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was The Priory Pembroke Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

The Priory Pembroke Academy was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does The Priory Pembroke Academy have?

The Priory Pembroke Academy has 590 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Priory Pembroke Academy cover?

The Priory Pembroke Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are The Priory Pembroke Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 41.8, and 32% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is The Priory Pembroke Academy?

The Priory Pembroke Academy is at Croft Lane, Cherry Willingham, Lincoln, Lincolnshire, LN3 4JP.