Weldon Village Academy

Weldon Village Academy is a growing school that has retained a family feel, with pupils who are known and understood by staff. The school is rated at the expected standard across achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, and leadership and governance. Pupils generally progress well, including those with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, and attendance is typically in line with or better than national averages. Behaviour is positive, lessons are calm, and pupils feel safe and supported. Safeguarding standards are met. The school's inclusive culture is a notable strength, with strong pastoral support, a broad extra-curricular offer, and effective use of alternative provision. Leaders, supported by the Meridian Trust, have designed a well-considered curriculum, and staff feel well supported through professional learning. Governance provides robust challenge alongside support. However, some areas require further development. Pupils who arrive partway through the year or partway through their secondary education do not always progress as well as they could, and gaps in their knowledge are not always identified and filled quickly. Support for pupils who speak English as an additional language is not consistently well used, and assessment processes do not always identify gaps for all groups of pupils. Leaders have recognised these issues and are taking steps to address them, though the impact is in its early stages.

Strengths

• Pupils generally progress well, including those with SEND and disadvantaged pupils
• Attendance is typically in line with or better than national averages
• Lessons are calm and pupils typically behave very well
• Pupils feel safe and have trusted adults to speak to; bullying is rare and dealt with effectively
• Leaders have designed a broad and balanced curriculum with well-considered sequencing
• Staff receive a well-designed professional learning programme and feel supported
• Inclusive culture with impactful pastoral support and strong relationships
• Broad range of extra-curricular activities with high participation, including Duke of Edinburgh's Award
• Leaders respond promptly to local needs and maintain the school's values as it grows
• Governance provides robust challenge and support, ensuring manageable workload

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils who arrive partway through the year or secondary education progress less well
• Gaps in knowledge for some pupils are not identified and filled as quickly as they could be
• Support for pupils who speak English as an additional language is not consistently well used
• Assessment processes do not always quickly identify gaps in all groups of pupils' foundational knowledge
• On occasion, pupils who do not require as much support do not have gaps in their knowledge identified as well

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 Weldon Village Academy attended 94.0% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 13.9% 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, 5.8% of pupils at Weldon Village 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 Weldon Village Academy had 21.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 7.4% of pupils at Weldon Village Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.4% 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 Weldon Village Academy received £8,112 and spent £7,508 for each of its 293 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £212,000 (£722 per pupil).

Across all 36 schools of Meridian Trust, income was £7,921 and spending £7,857 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 Corby · North Northamptonshire local authority: places and applications

Weldon Village Academy is part of Meridian Trust, which runs 36 schools. The nearest others:

• The Bluecoat School Stamford
• Stamford Welland Academy Stamford
• The Ferrers School Rushden
• Orton Wistow Primary School Peterborough
• Sawtry Junior Academy Huntingdon
• Nene Park Academy Peterborough
• Sawtry Village Academy Huntingdon
• Nene Valley Primary School Peterborough
• Woodston Primary School Peterborough
• West Town Primary Academy Peterborough

What is Weldon Village Academy's Ofsted rating?

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

When was Weldon Village Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Weldon Village Academy was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Weldon Village Academy have?

Weldon Village Academy has 475 pupils on roll.

What age range does Weldon Village Academy cover?

Weldon Village Academy for pupils aged 11 to 19.

Where is Weldon Village Academy?

Weldon Village Academy is at Oundle Road, Weldon, Corby, Northamptonshire, NN17 3GE.