Lincoln Castle Academy
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Lincoln Castle Academy is a converter academy in Lincoln for boys and girls aged 11 to 16. It has 744 pupils and room for 1,041. About 46 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 6 out of 100. That puts it well below schools like it, ahead of 24% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was inadequate, back in 2022.
Riseholme Road, Lincoln, LN1 3SP01522 303584Mr Johnathon Hodgson headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 5 July 2022, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Inadequate overall.
This inspection is more than 4 years old. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of one grade.
Ofsted has serious worries about this school. It is in serious weaknesses.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
103 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
All GCSE measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024† | 2023† | 2022† | 2019† | 2018† | Lincolnshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 103 | 124 | 135 | 143 | 120 | 121 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 40.8 | 41.6 | 38.5 | 41.1 | 36.5 | 35.7 | 46.2 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | +0.09 | -0.54 | -0.34 | -0.31 | -0.70 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 42% | 39% | 30% | 30% | 13% | 7% | 43% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 62% | 61% | 51% | 50% | 36% | 24% | 65% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 3.51 | 3.56 | 3.25 | 3.28 | 2.96 | 2.85 | 4.07 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 12% | 18% | 10% | 8% | 24% | 26% | 37% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 31.3 | 38.5 | 30.7 | 34.9 | 26.9 | 33.9 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | 46.6 | 43.7 | 43.7 | 44.7 | 41.3 | 36.9 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 27.7 | 24.2 | 29.2 | 21.6 | 28.7 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers | – | 64.7 | 58.0 | 65.5 | 50.2 | 46.3 | – | – |
† These results are for Lincoln Castle Academy, the school this one replaced in December 2023. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
Subjects
Results came out for 12 GCSE subjects in 2025. Each figure is the share of pupils who got a grade 5 or better, next to the average for state secondaries in England.
Subjects that did worse than the England average: Geography (37% here, 51% across England).
The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.
Every subject against England, 2025
| Subject | Entries | Grades 9 to 7 | Grades 9 to 5 | Grades 9 to 4 | England 9 to 5 | Rank in England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 103 | 18% | 62% | 77% | 54% | 845 of 3,210 |
| Mathematics | 102 | 8% | 45% | 66% | 53% | 2,077 of 3,211 |
| English Literature | 94 | 9% | 60% | 70% | 58% | 1,284 of 3,202 |
| Combined Science | 82 | 4% | 31% | 57% | 36% | 1,823 of 3,084 |
| History | 51 | 10% | 53% | 65% | 52% | 1,383 of 3,126 |
| Geography | 41 | 5% | 37% | 54% | 51% | 2,304 of 3,116 |
| Art and Design | 19 | 16% | 58% | 68% | 58% | – |
| Physics | 12 | 17% | 92% | 92% | 82% | – |
| Other Modern Languages | 12 | 67% | 83% | 83% | 49% | – |
| Chemistry | 12 | 25% | 92% | 92% | 81% | – |
| Biology | 12 | 17% | 75% | 92% | 82% | – |
| Music | 6 | 0% | 33% | 67% | 61% | – |
In combined science each pupil gets two grades and we count the lower one. Rankings only include state secondaries where 20 or more pupils sat the subject.
Does every child do well here?
A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 1 of the 3 gaps is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.
At GCSE, 2025
Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.
Getting a place
Admissions policy not published.
158 places were empty (18% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in.
In 2026 every child who applied got a place, so how far away you live didn't matter. That could change if the school gets more popular.
We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.
How places were given out for September 2026. Every child who applied got a place (179 offers for 180 places).
| Entry | Places | Got a place | How far the last child lived | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Secondary | 180 | 179 | – all offered | LA |
| 2025 Secondary | 175 | 171 | – all offered | LA |
| 2024 Secondary | 175 | 153 | – all offered | LA |
| 2023 Secondary | 175 | 175 | – | LA |
| 2022 Secondary | 175 | 137 | – all offered | LA |
| 2021 Secondary | 175 | 162 | – all offered | LA |
| 2020 Secondary | 175 | 162 | – all offered | LA |
| 2019 Secondary | 175 | 174 | – all offered | LA |
Who goes here
Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (31), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (29), language and communications needs (22), Autistic spectrum disorder (21), Moderate learning difficulty (21), Specific learning difficulty (20).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 744 | 709 | 680 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 47% | 43% | 40% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 19% | 20% | 19% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 11% | 11% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 5% | 5% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 88.0% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 91.4%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23† | 2021/22† | 2020/21† | 2018/19† | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 12.0% | 13.7% | 15.1% | 16.0% | 7.4% | 6.1% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 5.6% | 5.9% | 9.6% | 10.4% | 6.1% | 4.9% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 6.3% | 7.7% | 5.5% | 5.6% | 1.3% | 1.2% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 33.6% | 40.2% | 41.7% | 51.6% | 24.0% | 19.7% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 102.0 | 111.2 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 5 | 6 | 7 | – | – | – | – |
† These attendance figures are for Lincoln Castle Academy, the school this one replaced in December 2023. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other secondary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.
The area around the school
Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.
Nearby schools
The closest secondary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Christ's Hospital School | Academy | 0.9 miles | 1,275 | No overall grade 2024 | 23 | Compare |
| Lincoln UTC | University technical college | 1.0 miles | 389 | Not inspected | 70 | Compare |
| Lincolnshire Secure Unit | Secure units | 1.1 miles | – | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| St Peter and St Paul, Catholic Voluntary Academy | Academy | 2.6 miles | 601 | Requires improvement 2024 | 9 | Compare |
| The Priory Academy LSST | Academy | 2.7 miles | 1,749 | Good 2023 | 73 | Compare |
| The Priory City of Lincoln Academy | Academy | 2.7 miles | 922 | Report card 2025 | 4 | Compare |
| The Priory Witham Academy | Academy | 3.2 miles | 1,068 | Good 2023 | 23 | Compare |
| The Priory Pembroke Academy | Academy | 3.3 miles | 590 | Good 2022 | 55 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares Lincoln Castle Academy with the 47 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 47 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 6 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 6% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 4 to 9. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.
| What we looked at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 20% | below | -0.13 | 2025 results; 103 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 17% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old) | well below | -0.67 | Ofsted grade, 4.2 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | in line | -0.06 | Contextualised attainment (no DfE progress measure available); 103 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 0% | no data | – | |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | well below | -0.21 | 2024/25; 784 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | in line | -0.03 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 103 pupils |
| What pupils do next | 0% | no data | – | |
| What parents say | 0% | no data | – |
Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.
Questions parents ask
Is Lincoln Castle Academy a good school?
The figures are weak. Lincoln Castle Academy scores 6 out of 100. That is well below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 24% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 4 to 9, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.
What is Lincoln Castle Academy's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Lincoln Castle Academy inadequate at its last full inspection on 5 July 2022. That was more than four years ago. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of a single grade.
How good are Lincoln Castle Academy's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 42% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 40.8, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished about level with children across England who started secondary school at the same level.
How many pupils does Lincoln Castle Academy have?
744 pupils aged 11 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 1,041 places, so it is 71% full.
Is Lincoln Castle Academy oversubscribed?
Probably not. 158 places were empty in 2024/25 (18% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.
What is attendance like at Lincoln Castle Academy?
Pupils were in school 88.0% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 34% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at Lincoln Castle Academy?
The average class had 24.8 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. 7% of classes had more than 30 pupils.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Riseholme Road, Lincoln, LN1 3SP
- Telephone
- 01522 303584
- Headteacher
- Mr Johnathon Hodgson
- Type of school
- Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
- Phase
- Secondary school, ages 11-16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Multi-academy trust
- Delta Academies Trust (64 schools)
- Local authority
- Lincolnshire
- Ward
- Castle
- Constituency
- Lincoln
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 December 2023 (fresh start)
- URN
- 150482 · LAESTAB 9254064 · UKPRN 10094335
- Formerly
- Lincoln Castle Academy
Recent changes
- New KS4 results for 2024/25
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- Admissions outcomes: Lincolnshire council's published allocation statistics (source), entry years 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.