SCHOOL PROFILE

Malcolm Arnold Academy

Secondary Academy sponsor led URN 136201
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 1,450 Published school capacity
Capacity used 88.1% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 18 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest ungraded inspection

8 November 2023
Latest published outcome School remains Good
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Academy sponsor led
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Church of England
Local authority West Northamptonshire
Trust THE DAVID ROSS EDUCATION TRUST
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 1,278 1,278 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 572 44.8% of pupils
Male pupils 706 55.2% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

24.6%
0.2 pts below England
School 24.6%
West Northamptonshire 17.1%
East Midlands 25.0%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

35.4%
15.1 pts above England
School 35.4%
West Northamptonshire 22.5%
East Midlands 18.4%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.0%
1.0 pts below England
School 0.0%
West Northamptonshire 0.7%
East Midlands 0.7%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
38.7%
494
Any other White background
23.0%
294
African
13.7%
175
Bangladeshi
4.4%
56
Any other Mixed background
3.3%
42
White and Black Caribbean
2.5%
32
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 15.7% 200 of 1,278 pupils
5.2 pts below England England: 20.8%
School 15.7%
West Northamptonshire 18.6%
East Midlands 19.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 14.2% 181 pupils
England 14.8% 0.6 pts below
EHC plans 1.5% 19 pupils
England 6.0% 4.5 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Social, emotional & mental health 78
Specific learning difficulty 43
Autistic spectrum disorder 42
Moderate learning difficulty 14
Speech, language & communication 11
Hearing impairment 8

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 4 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
ATTAINMENT 8

Average attainment score

41.4 2.2 pts above England
School 41.4
West Northamptonshire 35.3
East Midlands 39.1
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 37.8% England 36.0% 1.8 pts above England
English & maths grade 4+ 57.7% England 51.4% 6.3 pts above England
EBacc entry 37.3% England 30.6% 6.7 pts above England
EBacc average point score 3.70 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: 0.04 · 2023/24

Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.

ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

9.25%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

3.04 pts higher than England
School 9.25%
West Northamptonshire 5.91%
East Midlands 5.90%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

23.68%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

7.86 pts higher than England
School 23.68%
West Northamptonshire 13.97%
East Midlands 14.53%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

4.21%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

2.41 pts higher than England
School 4.21%
West Northamptonshire 1.94%
East Midlands 1.72%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open secondary schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

88.1% 4.2 pts below England
Malcolm Arnold Academy
88.1%
West Northamptonshire
95.3%
East Midlands
94.2%
England
92.3%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information