SCHOOL PROFILE

The Gainsborough Academy

Secondary Academy sponsor led URN 145954
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 1,200 Published school capacity
Capacity used 63.9% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 16 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest graded inspection

10 July 2024
Latest published outcome Requires improvement
OEIF
Quality of education Requires improvement
Behaviour & attitudes Requires improvement
Personal development Requires improvement
Leadership & management Requires improvement
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Academy sponsor led
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character —
Local authority Lincolnshire
Trust WICKERSLEY PARTNERSHIP TRUST
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 767 767 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 388 50.6% of pupils
Male pupils 379 49.4% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

65.4%
40.6 pts above England
School 65.4%
West Lindsey 26.8%
East Midlands 25.0%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

5.5%
14.8 pts below England
School 5.5%
West Lindsey 4.9%
East Midlands 18.4%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.7%
0.3 pts below England
School 0.7%
West Lindsey 1.2%
East Midlands 0.7%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
85.3%
654
Any other White background
3.8%
29
Unclassified
3.0%
23
African
2.2%
17
Gypsy / Roma
1.0%
8
Any other Mixed background
0.8%
6
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 29.5% 226 of 767 pupils
8.6 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 29.5%
West Lindsey 20.1%
East Midlands 19.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 25.0% 192 pupils
England 14.8% 10.2 pts above
EHC plans 4.4% 34 pupils
England 6.0% 1.6 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Moderate learning difficulty 63
Social, emotional & mental health 47
Specific learning difficulty 40
Autistic spectrum disorder 25
Speech, language & communication 20
No specialist assessment yet 17

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

38.0 1.2 pts below England
School 38.0
West Lindsey 44.3
East Midlands 39.1
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 24.4% England 36.0% 11.6 pts below England
English & maths grade 4+ 47.9% England 51.4% 3.5 pts below England
EBacc entry 11.8% England 30.6% 18.8 pts below England
EBacc average point score 3.06 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: -0.81 · 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

12.79%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

6.58 pts higher than England
School 12.79%
West Lindsey 5.61%
East Midlands 5.90%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

39.75%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

23.93 pts higher than England
School 39.75%
West Lindsey 13.59%
East Midlands 14.53%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

9.94%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

8.13 pts higher than England
School 9.94%
West Lindsey 1.54%
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

63.9% 28.4 pts below England
The Gainsborough Academy
63.9%
West Lindsey
91.6%
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