Lord Grey Academy

Lord Grey Academy is a larger-than-average secondary school in a locally deprived area and part of Tove Learning Trust. Inspectors found the school meets the expected standard in all main areas of evaluation, and safeguarding standards are met. Leaders have created a calm, inclusive and orderly school where pupils feel safe, behave well and usually attend regularly. Teaching is generally strong, the curriculum is broad and ambitious, and pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils are well supported. Reading and careers education are particular strengths. Most pupils achieve well, especially in English and mathematics, and disadvantaged pupils achieve in line with national averages. However, some pupils, including those with high prior attainment, do not consistently achieve well across all subjects. Published A-level outcomes are below average in some subjects, even though sixth-form students typically make good progress from their starting points. Leaders know this and have begun to improve curriculum and teaching, but the impact is not yet fully reflected in results. The enrichment offer is also narrower than leaders want, and disadvantaged pupils take part less often. Leadership and governance are steady, staff feel well supported, and provision for personal development, inclusion and the sixth form is strong. The next steps are to embed recent improvements so achievement is consistently strong across all subjects and to widen the range of clubs, trips and enrichment opportunities.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture of safeguarding.
• Pupils feel safe, well cared for and know how to get help.
• Behaviour is positive, classrooms are calm and routines are clear.
• Most pupils attend regularly, and leaders act quickly when attendance drops.
• The curriculum is broad, ambitious and generally taught well.
• Reading has a high priority and pupils who need support catch up quickly.
• Pupils with SEND follow the ambitious curriculum and receive effective support.
• Leaders identify needs early and use effective pupil passports and inclusion support.
• Disadvantaged pupils achieve outcomes in line with the national average.
• Leadership, governance and trust oversight are strong and provide robust challenge and support.
• Staff, including early career teachers, feel well supported through high-quality development.
• Personal development and wellbeing are well planned, with strong pastoral and therapeutic support.
• Careers education is very effective and pupils move on to suitable destinations.
• The sixth form is inclusive and supportive, with particularly strong vocational outcomes.
• Students in the sixth form receive high-quality careers guidance and move to good next steps.

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils, including those with high prior attainment, do not consistently achieve well across all subjects.
• Achievement varies between subjects, and recent improvements are not yet fully reflected in published results.
• In some subjects, pupils do not achieve as well as they could.
• Published A-level outcomes are below average in some subjects, and A-level value added is below the national average.
• Attainment 8 was below the national average in 2024/25.
• The enrichment offer is not varied enough, and some pupils would like more clubs and trips.
• Disadvantaged pupils take part in clubs less often than their peers.
• Leaders need to embed curriculum and teaching improvements so achievement is consistently strong across all subjects.
• Leaders need to develop the enrichment offer further to widen opportunities for pupils' talents and interests.

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 Lord Grey Academy attended 91.1% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 26.2% 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, 9.4% of pupils at Lord Grey Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 2 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 Lord Grey Academy had 23.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 23.8% 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, 16.3% of pupils at Lord Grey Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.5% 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 Lord Grey Academy received £7,601 and spent £7,453 for each of its 1,433 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,197,000 (£835 per pupil).

Across all 13 schools of Tove Learning Trust, income was £7,790 and spending £7,801 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 Milton Keynes · Milton Keynes local authority: places and applications

Lord Grey Academy is part of Tove Learning Trust, which runs 14 schools. The nearest others:

• Knowles Primary School Milton Keynes
• Water Hall Primary School Milton Keynes
• Stantonbury School Milton Keynes
• Elizabeth Woodville School Milton Keynes
• Roade Village Academy Roade
• Sponne School Towcester
• Wootton Primary School Northampton
• Whitefriars Primary School Rushden
• Rushden Academy Rushden
• Huxlow Academy Irthlingborough

What is Lord Grey Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Lord Grey Academy is Expected standard, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Lord Grey Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Lord Grey Academy was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Lord Grey Academy have?

Lord Grey Academy has 1,446 pupils on roll.

What age range does Lord Grey Academy cover?

Lord Grey Academy for pupils aged 11 to 19.

What are Lord Grey Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 40.6, and 39% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Lord Grey Academy?

Lord Grey Academy is at Rickley Lane, Bletchley, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK3 6EW.