OFSTED
9 December 2025
Latest inspection
Latest published outcome
Met
Renewed framework
Safeguarding
Met
Inclusion
Needs attention
Curriculum & teaching
Needs attention
Achievement
Needs attention
Attendance & behaviour
Needs attention
Personal development
Expected standard
Leadership & governance
Needs attention
INSPECTION HISTORY
Previous Ofsted activity
10 May 2023
Graded inspection
Requires improvement
Published
3 July 2023
SCHOOL DETAILS
About this school
School type
Academy sponsor led
Phase
Secondary
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Does not apply
Local authority
Lincolnshire
Trust
THE PRIORY FEDERATION OF ACADEMIES
Census date
15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE
2025/26
School community
Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.
Total pupils
922
922 full-time ·
0 part-time
Female pupils
395
42.8% of pupils
Male pupils
527
57.2% of pupils
Free school meals
Pupils eligible for free school meals.
10.8 pts
above England
School
35.6%
Lincoln
32.9%
East Midlands
25.0%
England
24.8%
English as an additional language
Pupils whose first language is not English.
6.3 pts
below England
School
14.0%
Lincoln
20.6%
East Midlands
18.4%
England
20.3%
Young carers
Pupils recorded as young carers.
0.2 pts
above England
School
1.2%
Lincoln
1.5%
East Midlands
0.7%
England
1.0%
Ethnicity
Largest recorded pupil groups.
White British
79.9%
737
Any other White background
11.0%
101
African
2.3%
21
White and Black African
1.2%
11
White and Black Caribbean
1.1%
10
Any other Asian background
0.9%
8
Council, regional and national comparisons
are pupil-weighted using published school
census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS
2025/26
Special educational needs
Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.
Pupils with SEN
23.4%
216 of
922 pupils
2.6 pts
above England
England:
20.8%
England
14.8%
4.4 pts
above
England
6.0%
1.8 pts
below
PRIMARY NEEDS
Pupils
Most common identified needs
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
2024/25
Key stage 4 outcomes
Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.
ATTAINMENT 8
Average attainment score
35.6
3.6 pts
below England
Latest published: -0.64 · 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
2024/25
Attendance profile
Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.
ABSENCE RATE
13.50%
Overall absence
Percentage of possible sessions missed.
7.28 pts
higher than
England
School
13.50%
Lincoln
7.38%
East Midlands
5.90%
England
6.22%
ABSENCE RATE
36.18%
Persistent absence
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
20.37 pts
higher than
England
School
36.18%
Lincoln
19.98%
East Midlands
14.53%
England
15.82%
ABSENCE RATE
8.66%
Severe absence
Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.
6.86 pts
higher than
England
School
8.66%
Lincoln
2.65%
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
97.1%
4.7 pts
above England
The Priory City of Lincoln Academy
97.1%
Lincoln
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.