SCHOOL PROFILE

Bluecoat Trent Academy

Secondary Free schools URN 148548
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 1,200 Published school capacity
Capacity used 94.3% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 16 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest graded inspection

30 January 2024
Latest published outcome Good
OEIF
Quality of education Good
Behaviour & attitudes Good
Personal development Outstanding
Leadership & management Good
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Free schools
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority Nottingham
Trust ARCHWAY LEARNING TRUST
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 1,132 1,132 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 484 42.8% of pupils
Male pupils 648 57.2% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

54.5%
29.7 pts above England
School 54.5%
Nottingham 36.9%
East Midlands 25.0%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

36.0%
15.7 pts above England
School 36.0%
Nottingham 36.7%
East Midlands 18.4%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

1.9%
0.9 pts above England
School 1.9%
Nottingham 0.7%
East Midlands 0.7%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
24.9%
282
Pakistani
15.4%
174
African
9.6%
109
White and Black Caribbean
8.2%
93
Any other White background
6.0%
68
Any other Asian background
5.9%
67
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% 178 of 1,132 pupils
5.1 pts below England England: 20.8%
School 15.7%
Nottingham 18.8%
East Midlands 19.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 14.0% 158 pupils
England 14.8% 0.8 pts below
EHC plans 1.8% 20 pupils
England 6.0% 4.3 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder 50
Social, emotional & mental health 42
Moderate learning difficulty 31
Specific learning difficulty 29
Speech, language & communication 10
Vision impairment 5

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

9.44%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

3.22 pts higher than England
School 9.44%
Nottingham 6.82%
East Midlands 5.90%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

29.63%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

13.81 pts higher than England
School 29.63%
Nottingham 18.73%
East Midlands 14.53%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

4.97%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

3.17 pts higher than England
School 4.97%
Nottingham 2.30%
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

94.3% 2.0 pts above England
Bluecoat Trent Academy
94.3%
Nottingham
101.7%
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