OFSTED
Latest graded inspection
12 November 2024
Latest published outcome
Not judged
OEIF
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour & attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership & management
Good
SCHOOL DETAILS
About this school
School type
Academy converter
Phase
Secondary
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
—
Local authority
Nottinghamshire
Trust
EAST MIDLANDS EDUCATION TRUST
Census date
15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE
School community
Latest published pupil characteristics
for 2025/26.
2025/26
Total pupils
1,361
1,361 full-time ·
0 part-time
Female pupils
690
50.7% of pupils
Male pupils
671
49.3% of pupils
1.9 pts
below England
School
22.9%
Newark and Sherwood
24.3%
East Midlands
25.0%
England
24.8%
16.7 pts
below England
School
3.6%
Newark and Sherwood
8.9%
East Midlands
18.4%
England
20.3%
0.8 pts
below England
School
0.2%
Newark and Sherwood
0.7%
East Midlands
0.7%
England
1.0%
Ethnicity
Largest recorded pupil groups.
White British
78.5%
1,068
Any other White background
3.4%
46
White and Black Caribbean
1.8%
24
Any other Mixed background
1.4%
19
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
15.4%
209 of
1,361 pupils
5.5 pts
below England
England:
20.8%
Newark and Sherwood
16.7%
SEN support
13.2%
179 pupils
England
14.8%
1.6 pts
below
EHC plans
2.2%
30 pupils
England
6.0%
3.8 pts
below
PRIMARY NEEDS
Most common identified needs
Pupils
Social, emotional & mental health
68
Autistic spectrum disorder
55
Specific learning difficulty
30
Moderate learning difficulty
28
Speech, language & communication
12
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.
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
7.96%
Percentage of possible sessions missed.
1.74 pts
higher than
England
School
7.96%
Newark and Sherwood
5.74%
East Midlands
5.90%
England
6.22%
ABSENCE RATE
Persistent absence
22.31%
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
6.50 pts
higher than
England
School
22.31%
Newark and Sherwood
14.78%
East Midlands
14.53%
England
15.82%
ABSENCE RATE
Severe absence
3.55%
Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.
1.75 pts
higher than
England
School
3.55%
Newark and Sherwood
1.37%
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
108.9%
16.6 pts
above England
The Joseph Whitaker School
108.9%
Newark and Sherwood
96.8%
Benchmarks use open schools in the
same phase. Capacity utilisation is
calculated from published pupil and
capacity figures.