Farnborough Spencer Academy

Farnborough Spencer Academy is a good school that provides a warm and supportive learning environment where pupils feel safe and valued. The school is committed to high-quality education and has put in place a broad and ambitious curriculum that encourages both personal and academic growth. With strong staff-pupil relationships and effective personal development programs, pupils are well-prepared for their future endeavors. However, despite these strengths, the school is facing challenges in specific areas, including attendance and the need for enhanced subject expertise among some teachers.

Strengths

• Strong relationships between pupils and staff.
• Ambitious and broad curriculum.
• Effective personal development program.
• High expectations for pupil behavior.
• Strong commitment to safeguarding and mental health support.

Areas for Improvement

• Some teachers lack sufficient subject expertise.
• No phonics teaching for early readers.
• Some pupils have low attendance and punctuality.

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 Farnborough Spencer Academy attended 88.9% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 31.0% 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, 10.8% of pupils at Farnborough Spencer 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 Farnborough Spencer Academy had 18.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 24.1% 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, 17.3% of pupils at Farnborough Spencer Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 1.0% 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 Farnborough Spencer Academy received £9,299 and spent £9,404 for each of its 999 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £304,000 (-£304 per pupil).

Across all 27 schools of The Spencer Academies Trust, income was £7,619 and spending £7,638 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 Nottingham · Nottingham local authority: places and applications

Farnborough Spencer Academy is part of The Spencer Academies Trust, which runs 27 schools. The nearest others:

• Rosecliffe Spencer Academy Nottingham
• Rushcliffe Spencer Academy Nottingham
• Sunnyside Spencer Academy Nottingham
• Chetwynd Spencer Academy Nottingham
• Bispham Spencer Academy Nottingham
• George Spencer Academy Nottingham
• Glenbrook Spencer Academy Nottingham
• Fairfield Spencer Academy Nottingham
• Portland Spencer Academy Nottingham
• Millside Spencer Academy Loughborough

What is Farnborough Spencer Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Farnborough Spencer Academy is Good, from an inspection in October 2022.

When was Farnborough Spencer Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Farnborough Spencer Academy was last inspected in October 2022.

How many pupils does Farnborough Spencer Academy have?

Farnborough Spencer Academy has 1,005 pupils on roll.

What age range does Farnborough Spencer Academy cover?

Farnborough Spencer Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Farnborough Spencer Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 37.9, and 33% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Farnborough Spencer Academy?

Farnborough Spencer Academy is at Farnborough Road, Clifton, Nottingham, NG11 8JW.